Deliverance
by Hanyou Lothuial
Summary: COMPLETE! 2nd Kokitsune saga. A powerful, soul-sucking demon has broken open the Gates of Hell and escaped to Ningenkai. With the help of a few old friends...and enemies... can the Reiki Tantei save the Human World from ultimate destruction?
1. Prologue A Step Towards Tomorrow

Well here it is, the awaited second saga of Chitsuko's adventures with the Reiki Tantei!   
  
To anyone and everyone who is new to Chit-chan's story: please read my fic "Kokitsune" first to get a better idea of where the characters stand and what has happened to them so far.   
  
For those of you who have read "Kokitsune," this story, "Deliverance," (Hellfire from inappropriate .) picks up where the previous saga left off. Chitsuko is still living with the Minaminos, and has discovered that she is the reborn Hanyou Kohana, the half-demon child that Kurama swore to protect in Makai five hundred years ago. She has developed a brotherly-sisterly bond with Hiei and has finally gained control of and learned the secret of her powers. ...Or has she?  
  
Enjoy, minna-san! =^^=  
  
~Lexi-chan~  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Prologue: A Step Towards Tomorrow - A New Beginning  
  
"Are you positive you don't want us to come with you, kaasan?"  
  
Kurama sat on the edge of the bed next to his mother's half-packed suitcase. He watched as his human mother, Shiori, took several garments out of her closet and laid them on the comforter. The woman carefully folded each one, then gingerly placed it into the leather baggage.  
  
Shiori smiled and shook her head. "I will be fine, Shuichi." She slid open a door, pulling out two pair of nightclothes which she also stuffed into the suitcase. "You and Chitsuko should be find by yourselves. I will only be gone for two months."  
  
"Two months is a long time." The redhead took the pajamas from her, folding them himself and squeezing them in next to a flower print dress. "You will be greatly missed."  
  
"I know, sweetie," the woman said, turning to her son and planting a kiss on his forehead. "And that's what makes coming home even better." She refocused her attention on her packing, digging through her dresser for any other items she might need while she was away. "Did Chitsuko come home from her walk?"  
  
"Yes," Kurama replied as he stood up. His eyes glazed over as he became lost in thought, pondering his mother's question. Chitsuko had gone for a walk after returning home from school, and hadn't returned until dinner. Shiori had suspected that the darling girl had run into one of her friends along the way and stopped to talk to them, or possibly accompany them somewhere. Kurama knew the truth. She had gone out to see Hiei in the park. Obviously he had wanted to train her further, although there was no need. They had been experiencing peace for over a month, ever since Chitsuko and Kurama and done away with Zoutarou and his demon hunters once and for all.  
  
"Good. Would you be a dear and check up on her for me? Make sure she's alright? No scratches or bruises?"  
  
Kurama flushed sightly. "Yes mother." He nodded and scurried out of the room into the hallway.  
  
So she had noticed her previous wounds.  
  
Shiori had questioned both he and the girl about their overly-dirty clothes and the mysterious scratches and bruises they seemed to aquire. Chitsuko had claimed to have gotten them during her morning walks when she tripped and fell occasionally. Whether Shiori believed her or not, it was hard to tell. Kurama had done his best to hide his afflictions, but what he couldn't get past Shiori he explained as kitchen accidents.  
  
They both felt terrible, deceiving Shiori like that...  
  
...But what else could they do?  
  
And now his dear human mother would be gone for two months, visiting distant relatives in Hiroshima. Both Kurama and Chitsuko had offered to accompany her, but Shiori insisted that they stay, saying that it would be a pain for the two students to catch up academically when they returned. She had gone shopping the day before, and had left enough money and emergency contacts to ensure their comfort during her absence.  
  
With a sigh he descended the stairs and made his way to the kitchen. "Chitsuko-chan?"  
  
"In here."  
  
Kurama found the girl in the living room. She was curled up on the windowsill, her blue-gray eyes staring through the window to the cool late-February evening outside. Her long golden-brown tresses, which she usually let fall over her shoulders without restraint, was tied back into a ponytail high at the back of her head. She still wore her school clothes, the blue and yellow uniform of Sarasaki High School.  
  
The redhead smiled and came to lean against the wall beside her. "How was your walk, kokitsune?"  
  
Chitsuko glanced at him sideways, then returned her gaze to the world beyond the glass pane. "Alright," was her simple answer.  
  
Kurama sighed inwardly. It was obvious that if she had met Hiei, she wasn't going to tell him. She had done that quite a few times; keep her meetings with the youkai a secret, only to have Hiei notify Kurama of them. He was training her to use a sword, but in almost every practice battle he had with her, the girl had insisted on using her powers to manipulate the plants around them, giving her the advantage. She almost always used her grass-blade sword instead of the katana the Jaganshi had given her, and had managed to learn the Rose Whip attack, Kurama's trademark, although she didn't like to use it as often. Hiei had scolded her time and time again for it. If she didn't learn to fight without using her spirit energy, how would she fare in battle when her power ran dry?  
  
Hiei had also mentioned that the little fox wanted to keep her training a secret, so that the next time she was attacked she could show Kurama how much her skills had improved.  
  
So she wanted to impress him.  
  
How juvenilely sweet.  
  
"I see..." Kurama's emerald gaze followed Chitsuko's out the window, settling on nothing in particular. "Are you looking for something?"  
  
"Oh...just something..." This time Chitsuko could not hide the little grin that spread across her face.  
  
The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Chitsuko..."  
  
The girl simply giggled and continued to stare out the window, her eyes now visibly locked on the street in front of the house.  
  
Shiori trotted down the stairs, two packed suitcases in her hands. The woman addressed the girl on the windowsill. "So Chit-chan, has it come yet?"  
  
"Not yet, Shiori-san."  
  
Kurama looked back and forth between the two women, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his magenta-purple Meiou High uniform. "What are you two talking about?"  
  
Shiori and Chitsuko glanced at each other, Shiori looking genuinely surprised.  
  
"You mean you didn't tell Shuichi?" the woman asked, confused.  
  
Chitsuko shook her head.  
  
After a moment of silence, a look of understanding passed over Shiori's face and she nodded. "Ah, I understand..." She winked.  
  
Chitsuko winked back.  
  
Kurama sighed and shook his head. Women could be so confusing sometimes, especially ningen women... And half-ningen women. He looked outside once more, watching as the mailman slipped a pile of letters into their mailbox before continuing down the street on his route.  
  
"Mail's here. I'll go..."  
  
"I'll get it!" Chitsuko interrupted as she jumped up from her seat and sprang towards the door. She was down the walk and at the mailbox before Kurama could even process her words. He leaned against the doorframe and watched as she pulled out the letters, flipping through them as she stood in the snow on the curb, barefoot.  
  
"It's here!"  
  
"What's here?"  
  
Chitsuko dashed back into the Minamino residence, dropping the letters onto the coffee table, all except for one. She held it out to Shiori, who took it from her and began to study it.  
  
"'Miss Chitsuko Ichihara'," she read aloud from the front of the envelope. "Yes, it's for you alright," she said with a smile as she handed it back to Chitsuko.  
  
Kurama cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt, but, what is happening here?" He moved next to Chitsuko and peeked over her shoulder, but the girl darted away before he could decipher even one word. "Chit-chan!" he sighed, a small smile on his face. This girl could be such a tease sometimes...  
  
"Hold on, you'll can se in a minute. I promise." Chitsuko excitedly tore open the envelope and pulled out a folded packet of papers. Unfolding it, she held it out straight, her eyes scanning the page as she read silently.  
  
Suddenly she cried out, her smile widening until her cheeks her. "Shiori, I'm in!"  
  
"Oh congratulations, Chitsuko!" Shiori stepped forward and hugged her charge, the two women laughing and smiling like two happy children.  
  
Kurama stood there, hands still in his pockets, staring at the pair. What on earth had them so excited?  
  
And then Chitsuko's arms were around him and she was squeezing him. Unsure of the reason for her sudden display of rabid affection, he lifted his hands and placed them on her back tentatively.  
  
"Can you believe it, Shuichi-kun? I'm in!" she said through her laughter.  
  
"In what?" the redhead asked, confused.  
  
"Oh! Right!" She handed the letter to Kurama. "Read this."  
  
Chitsuko stood in front of him, hands clasped tightly to herself as she struggled to keep in more laughter and cries of joy. Her entire being was bubbling up inside of her, excitement bursting within her heart and making it beat faster.  
  
Kurama glanced at Chitsuko before he started to read. His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to read aloud the words that had gotten his mother and companion, and now himself, so excited.  
  
"'Miss Ichihara, we are pleased to inform you that you have passed our entrance exam and have been accepted into Meiou High School.'" 


	2. Chapter 1 Meiou High

Konnichiwa minna-san! I know I told you the title was going to be "Hellfire," but it was inappropriate. "All titles and summaries must be kept G. No exceptions." .  
  
Whatever, here it is! ^^  
  
Enjoy! =^^=  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 1: Meiou High  
  
"Chit-chan! You're going to be late for your first day!"  
  
"I'm coming, Shiori-san!"  
  
Chitsuko Ichihara finished hooking the back of her bra band and tore open her closet door. Reaching in, she pulled her new school uniform down from its hanger, the hanger clattering noisly to floor. The girl winced as it fell, but decided to pick it up later. Quickly she slid into the short, pleated magenta-purple skirt, desperately hopping around her room in search of her shoes as well.  
  
Footsteps drifted up the stairs.  
  
Hastily she yanked her sailor-collared blouse, the same color as her skirt, over her head and shoved her arms through to the end, straightening out the sleeves before taking up her yellow scarf and tying it under the sailor collar. Falling to her knees, she frantically rummaged through the floor of her closet, throwing her sneakers and fallen clothing behind her as she hunted for her school shoes. Finally she found them; a pair of black mary janes that buckled around her ankle. She snatched them up and crossed to bed, pulling on a pair of short white socks before donning her shoes.  
  
The footsteps came down the hallway.  
  
With a last check in the floor-length mirror in the corner of her room, the one Shiori had bought for her, she smoothed down her long, golden-brown tresses. A small, sad frown crossed her face.  
  
Kenji would have been so proud of her.  
  
But he was dead, he couldn't see her now. He had no idea what she was going through, or what had happened since his death a few months ago. He had been killed by demon hunters, a band of them who had been ordered by their master to kill Chitsuko and Kurama.  
  
She missed Kenji Ichihara will all her heart.  
  
Shaking her head once to clear her thoughts, she straightened up and forced a smile onto her face.  
  
She was ready.  
  
Grabbing hold of her school bag as she passed her bed, she flung open her bedroom door, and in her excited bumped into someone poised before her door.  
  
Two slender, yet strong, hands gripped her arms to steady her. There was a laugh. "Careful, kokitsune..."  
  
Chitsuko looked up into the glistening emerald eyes of Kurama. He too was dressed in his school uniform. The smile on his face was one of sheer enjoyment and pleasure, the look in his eyes tender. He let his hands drop to his sides as he took a step back, looking the girl over in her new uniform.  
  
"You fit the part," he said, his smile growing larger as he lead her downstairs.  
  
Chitsuko giggled. "Thanks. I'm really nervous..."  
  
"Don't be nervous. You have no reason to be," Kurama replied as the two entered the kitchen, each grabbing a piece of warm buttered toast from off the counter. The redhead took a bit, chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then swallowed. "You're one of the brightest minds among us. You shouldn't be worried." He winked.  
  
Chitsuko was positively glowing as she stuffed half of her toast into her mouth. She nodded, then crammed the rest of her breakfast hastily into her mouth.  
  
"Chit-chan, you'll get a stomach ache if you eat too fast this early!" Shiori said with a laugh as she handed Kurama his school bag. "Good luck, I'm sure everyone will positively adore you!" she cooed as the two students dashed to the front door, the woman in persuit.  
  
Shiori kissed her son on the forehead. "Have a good day, Shuichi! Look out for Chitsuko."  
  
Turning to the girl, the woman wrapped her arms around her in a tight, motherly hug. "You have a wonderful day." She kissed the girl on the top of the head, then shooed them both out onto the sidewalk. "And don't be nervous!" she called after the girl.  
  
Chitsuko sighed and tilted her head back to look at the sky. It was the beginning of March, and already the new season had brought promises of good weather. The sky was a clear, crystalline blue, with nothing but the occasional bird to ripple its monochrome beauty. The girl closed her eyes, letting the warm, fresh sunshine caress her face.  
  
Applying to Meiou High hadn't entirely been her own idea. She had mentioned to Shiori how hard it was to commute to Sarasaki everyday, and had asked if she could borrow some money for transportation fare. Shiori had insisted that Chitsuko was putting herself out by making herself walk so far anyway, and so had suggested she transfer schools. The public school nearest the Minamino residence, Obuwanga High, was known for the bad reputations of its students and low tolerance rate.   
  
Shiori would have rather her walk a mile to Sarasaki every morning than suffer through that hellish nightmare of a school.  
  
And so came the conversation about Meiou High. It was close, and Shuichi went there as well. And both Shiori and Chitsuko had no doubt that the girl could pull off the high grades required to pass the entrance exam. Chitsuko had pleaded with Shiori to keep it a secret from Shuichi; when the day came, whether or not she got accepted, she would tell him.  
  
Shiori had told her son this the night the letter had arrived.  
  
Kurama couldn't have been more flattered. The girl was doting on him, set on impressing or surprising him with her skills and talents. In a way he laughed at her methods of seduction; she could have just come up to him and told him...  
  
The two continued to walk towards Meiou High in silence.  
  
By now it had become clear that both fox demons had feelings for each other, though neither one would admit it. Whether it was out of fear of rejection or some other unknown, moronic reason, the two hadn't even started dating yet. Everywhere they went, there were almost always in the company of Hiei, Yusuke, Botan, or some other member of the close-knit group.  
  
Kurama shot a sidelong glance at Chitsuko and grinned. She looked so cute in her little uniform. He would surely take pleasure in introducing her to his fellow classmates.  
  
At last they reached the Meiou High School building. Students sporting the school's uniform milled around the entrance hall, waiting for the bell to ring signaling the start of classes. Kurama lead Chitsuko to the Headmaster's office, the two stopping just outside the doors.  
  
"Unfourtunately, this is where I leave you," he said with a small smile. "I don't know what classes you have been placed in, but let's hope we're in at least one together." He winked, and with a wave over his shoulder, walked off down the hallway toward his first class.  
  
Resting her hand on the door to the office, Chitsuko took a deep breath. Her gaze flitted around the hallway, observing students, teachers, and open classrooms. Clusters of Meiou students leaned against the windows on one side of the hallway; others were darting in and out of classrooms. Still others were forming couples, boys and girls walking hand in hand down the hallways, oblivious to the world of commotion around them.  
  
Just as her mind had begun to drift on the subject of dating, the headmaster's door slid suddenly open. Chitsuko withdrew her hand with a slight gasp and took a step back, pink color rushing into her face.  
  
"I'm sorry, I..."  
  
The man standing before her was tall and lankly. His dark brown hair was parted on the side and slicked back with mousse. Over the left breast pocket of his navy-blue suit was a small gold pin that identified him as the headmaster.  
  
"Oh! Mr... err... Headmaster, sir, I am..."  
  
"The new student?" The headmaster grinned sporting rows of straight white teeth. "Ah yes, we've been expecting you." Turning back into his office with a chuckle, he beckoned her to follow.  
  
Hastily she skittered in, careful not to bump into anyone inside. She clutched her school bag tightly in front of her, blinking rapidly against the bright neon lights in the room.  
  
The headmaster turned to her once again, handing her two folded pieces of paper. "I am Mr. Hitoshi, the headmaster." He motioned to the papers he had given her. "Show the top one to the teacher in each of your classes. They will introduce you and get you acquainted with that class. The second paper is your schedule. You will need to find someone who can escort you to each class until you can find your way around this school by yourself." He smiled warmly at her.  
  
Rather timidly, Chitsuko smiled back.  
  
"Now, on your way, Miss Ichihara."  
  
Chitsuko nodded and slipped out the door into the slowly emptying hallway. Unfolding one of the papers Mr. Hitoshi had given her, she stared at it, her eyes skimming over her new schedule.  
  
"My first class... 'Room four-thirty-fourm Mrs. Ichigami.' Right..." With a sigh Chitsuko headed down the hallway, her bag and papers clutched tightly in her hand.  
  
Finally she came to a halt before room four-thirty-four. The corridor was now empty of students and completely silent except for the soft sound of Chitsuko's breathing.  
  
"Don't be so scared. You've done this before."  
  
She slid open the door and stepped into the classroom.  
  
The inhabitants immediately turned their heads to look at the newcomer. Eyes widened and heads bobbed up and down in mild chatter as the students began to whisper amongst themselves.  
  
Chitsuko felt her face flush.  
  
"Who are you?" A short, squat woman with short mouse-brown hair toddled over to Chitsuko. Chitsuko thrust out her hand bearing the note Mr. Hitoshi had given her and grinned weakly.  
  
Eyeing her, Mrs. Ichigami took the paper from her and unfolded it. After a moment, she smiled and turned to the class. "Students, this is Chitsuko Ichihara. She is a new student who has come to us from Sarasaki High!"  
  
There were murmurs of "She's from that punk school!" and "Doesn't Yusuke Urameshi go there?" Chitsuko let her gaze run over the students' faces. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced over Mayaka, a girl she had met several months ago with Kurama, sitting in the very back, glaring with contempt at the golden-haired girl. Ignoring her, Chitsuko continued to survey her new classmates. With a small gasp her stare stopped in the middle row near the windows.  
  
Kurama smiled happily back at her.  
  
"Now, we'll need someone to show Miss Chitsuko the ropes until she settles in," Miss Ichigami stated. "Who would like to help her?"  
  
Kurama's hand was up and he was speaking before the teacher even noticed. "Since I have known Chitsuko since she first moved into this town, perhaps I should be the one to show her around?"  
  
Miss Ichigami beamed at him. "Thank you, Shuichi! That's so thoughtful of you!" The squat woman pushed Chitsuko gently by the shoulders, steering her towards an empty desk next to Kurama. Gratefully, the girl sat down, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.  
  
"Now, I would like you all to open up your books to page ninety-seven, if you please. We will begun studying fungi today."  
  
The class groaned and moaned as they fished their biology books out of their bags. Nobody except Mayaka noticed Kurama wink at Chitsuko and reach over to squeeze her hand reassuringly.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko scratched her head and looked around the dim, empty hallway.  
  
What was she doing back at school?  
  
Taking a few hesitant steps forward, the girl peered into the nearest open classroom. It was empty and dark. She couldn't even make out the silhouettes of the desks and chairs. Turning to look out the row of windows on her other side, she found the world on the other side of the glass to be completely black.  
  
"That's odd..."  
  
"It prevents your attention from wandering."  
  
The voice was lilting and sensuous, gliding over her ears like fine silk. She breathed in sharply, as though it pained her to listen to it, then spun around to view its owner.  
  
Not too far down the hallway, a man stood with his hands in the pockets of his black slacks. Long, pin-straight black hair fell over the broad shoulders of a tall, slender figure. Two orbs of violet pierced the dark around his face, a few strands of inky-black hanging in them. The girl strained to view the rest of him, squinting her eyes into the darkness to make out his mouth and the rest of his features.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"It prevents your attention from wandering. That's why everything is dark," the man said without moving. Chitsuko couldn't see his lips moving, but she was positively sure that the voice belonged to him. "I don't have much time to talk to you. I don't want your focus wandering about while I am trying to speak to you."  
  
"Speak to me? About what?"  
  
"About the danger you are in."  
  
Chitsuko's heart sank. The last time she had had such a vivd and detailed dream, it had been a warning premonition. Could this be one as well...? She hoped against all hope that it wasn't. She prayed silently that the peace her and the Reiki Tantei had worked so hard for had not been shattered so soon... She took a step back, away from the figure. "What kind of danger?"  
  
"Your life is about to become a living hell. Literally." The man sounded sincere, his sensual voice wrapped itself around Chitsuko, almost lulling her into a dreamy sleep. "Don't let your guard down."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Don't worry," he interrupted. "I have sent Kurama a message as well."  
  
"Kurama?"  
  
The figure seemed to nod. "We are counting on you, actually, to right this situation, if it indeed does occur."  
  
"What do you mean? You're confusing..."  
  
The figure shook his head, then turned his back to her as he began to walk away.  
  
"Hey! You didn't answer me!"  
  
The figure did not respond.  
  
"HEY!"  
  
Chitsuko ran at his back, closing the distance between them and gripping him hard by the shoulder to spin him around to face her...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko's eyes flew open. She was laying with her head on her open history book, her half-done homework in front of her. Glancing at her clock only to find that it was around dinnertime, she blinked rapidly several times to clear her vision. Without another thought she sprang from her desk and across the hall into Kurama's room.  
  
"Kurama...!"  
  
"I know, I know... I had it too..." Kurama sat on the floor with his back against his bedframe, his face pale and ashen, making his emerald green eyes stand out painfully against his skin. Chitsuko put a gentle had on his shoulder. He was trembling slightly.  
  
"Kurama..."  
  
"I had the dream too," he said quickly, turning his face away from Chitsuko to hide his panic-stricken features. "I did too..."  
  
"What do we do?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Nothing." Was Kurama's immediate answer. The appearance of the strange man in his dreams seemed to have a far more serious and terrifying affect on Kurama than it had on Chitsuko.  
  
Who was that man, anyway?  
  
Kurama shook his head again and repeated, "Nothing. We can do absolutely nothing..." 


	3. Chapter 2 Tremor

Chapter 2: Tremor  
  
Chitsuko shifted the weight of the sleeping bag in her arms as Kurama knocked on the door to the Urameshi apartment. There was a shatter of breaking glass, followed by a string of loud, almost inaudible curse words in a resounding woman's voice. A young man's voice shouted back at the woman's, agitated and miffed.  
  
"Kurama, who was...?"  
  
"Atsuko, Yusuke's mother," Kurama said with a chuckle as someone began to approach the door from within the apartment. "She seems to have an usually strong taste for liquor, and let's leave it at that."  
  
The door swung open to reveal a young woman in her late twenties. Long brown hair with tints of gray hung down to her elbows. Her watery eyes were glassy, though she managed to smile for the two fox spirits standing in her doorway. "Ah! Shuichi!" she said brightly, before bending forward to get a closer look at Chitsuko. The girl shrank back slightly, somewhat alarmed by the closeness of this woman's blank face to hers.  
  
"Atsuko-san," Kurama said quickly, "this is Chitsuko Ichihara. She became a close friends of ours last fall. I don't believe you have had the pleasure of meeting her yet."  
  
After a moment of what seemed to be careful inspection, Atsuko Urameshi straightened up and beamed once again.  
  
"Such a nice-looking young lady!" she laughed. "Yusuke's mentioned you to me a few times, but he never bothered to bring you over! But," Atsuko said, her voice now low and slightly menacing, "Yusuke's already taken by a wonderful young lady, so don't get any ideas, you got me?" Atsuko's eyes had narrowed almost to slits.  
  
Chitsuko nodded nervously, although she was sure that alcohol was playing a role in Atsuko's behavioral patterns tonight.  
  
"I-I understand, Atsuko-san..."  
  
"Alright then!" The over-broad grin was back. "C'mon in!"  
  
Atsuko shut the door behind Chitsuko and Kurama as the pair made their way into the main living room, where a blaring TV with a multitude of cartoon characters flitting across it held the attention of two people sprawled on a couch. Across the room, however, two others were choosing not to watch the mundane nonsense; one stared longingly out the window, while the other sat on the sill itself.  
  
"Hn." Hiei slid away from the window and made his way over to Kurama. "What is this dribble they insist on watching? It's disgusting."  
  
Kuwabara, sitting next to Yusuke, turned as Hiei spoke the youko's name. He smiled instantly and jumped to his feet. "Kurama! Chitsuko! You're finally here!"  
  
Remaining in place in front of the window, Keiko spun around and waved at the too. "Hi guys, what took you so long?"  
  
"We had to do a little housecleaning before we left," Chitsuko sighed with a smile. "We can't let the house go to pieces while Shiori-san is away."  
  
"That's right..." Yusuke remarked slyly as he slipped off the couch and slunk over to the two newcomers, resting a hand on Chitsuko's shoulder. "You two've got the house all to yourselves for the next two months, am I right?"  
  
Both Chitsuko and Kurama flushed as Yusuke's subliminal message became clear, but before either one could reply, Keiko's red handprint was glowing on Yusuke's cheek like an oddly bright tattoo.  
  
"Yusuke!"  
  
"I was just playin', Keiko!" Yusuke said defensively as he rubbed his abused cheek.  
  
"Urameshi, you shouldn't be pressuring poor Chitsuko and Kurama into that kinda stuff!" Kuwabara crossed the room to drape an arm around both Chitsuko and Kurama's shoulders.  
  
"That's right, Kuwabara," Keiko said huffily, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Yeah," the orange-haired boy said with a sincere smile. "They'll do it when they're good and ready!"  
  
The silence that followed was almost unbearable.  
  
Chitsuko felt her entire body grown warm as blood rushed to the surface of her skin and never-before considered images began to flow into her mind. Hiding her face behind a curtain of golden-brown tresses, out of embarassment and shame, the girl scampered away from the group and began to set up her sleeping bag in a far corner of the room.  
  
Kurama stared after her as his own mind began to buzz, thoughts set into motion, catalyzed by Kuwabara's words. He pressed his lips into a fine line and his emerald eyes widened slightly as his own face grew hot.   
  
It was Hiei who finally broke the silence, and even then his voice was quiet. "I believe you've hit a nerve, you ningen idiot."  
  
"Of course I hit a nerve," Kuwabara said tentatively as Kurama, struggling to keep his blush down, hurried to do the same as Chitsuko. "I mean, look at 'em. I've never seen Kurama so nervous around someone before..."  
  
And it was true. Kurama knew they were right. He had finally understood just what that tension between him and Chitsuko was when she had rescued him from inside one of Zoutarou's enchanted mirrors. The way she had held him, that look on her tear-stained face when she looked into his eyes, the shine in those stormy hues at that moment...  
  
Keiko whirled on Kuwabara, her teeth clenched, obviously angry in defense of her friend. "Kuwabara! That was THE WORST possible thing to say!"  
  
Kuwabara stared blankly down at Keiko. "What?"  
  
"You idiot..." Yusuke and Keiko said in unison as they trudged off to pull the two foxes back into the circle of conversation... minus the innuendo.  
  
Thankfully, then were all saved from another painful silence as there was another knock at the door. Without waiting to be answered, it slid open with a bang and a blue-haired figure bounced into the room, closely followed by another, calmer one.  
  
"Botan!" Chitsuko, allowing herself to forget Kuwabara's words, stood up and rushed over to her. The ferrygirl was fresh from Reikai, still in the pink kimono she wore on ferrying jobs. Peering around Botan as she wa crushed in a rather friendly hug, her eyes dilated slightly as they rested on the boy behind her.  
  
"Koenma-sama?"  
  
Koenma, once agian in his more mature teenage form, bowed a respective greeting and stepped over to her. "Nice to see you again, Chitsuko. I trust you are well?"  
  
The girl bit her lip and smiled slightly, nodding. She knew what he really meant: Are you getting along alright without Kenji? Her heart was still broken, but so far, her friends had done a good job of helping to pick up the pieces.  
  
"That's good. Kurama should be taking excellent care of you." This prompted a smile from Kurama, who had now come over to shake hands with the Reikai ruler.  
  
"Koenma absolutely insisted on coming in his teenage form," Botan said dryly, shaking her head. "No good flirtacious show-off..."  
  
Yusuke, slinging an arm around Koenma's shoulder, whispered to him with a grin, "Botan's right you know. If all of this is for Chitsuko, you and Kurama might end up scratching each other eye's out, if you get my drift..."  
  
Koenma paused for a moment, then nodded. "I assure you, this is not plainly for Chitsuko. I just thought a toddler wouldn't be too welcome at a sleepover..." He shot an odd glance in Kurama's direction, and said no more on the subject.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Your turn, Chit-chan!" Botan squealed with delight as she tossed the empty sake bottle into Chitsuko's lap.  
  
Chitsuko, like everyone else in the room, was still laughing over the last round of Truth or Dare. Botan, in the heat of the moment, had adopted a mean streak and dared Yusuke to go out on the sidewalk in front of the apartment building and do a striptease.  
  
Yusuke, being Yusuke, had done it.  
  
Now, not only was Keiko blushing furiously and Botan threatening blackmail, Kuwabara and Koenma still hadn't stopped nagging Yusuke about his boxers; black with a repetitive print of little white ghosts. Even Hiei and Kurama were joining in on the teasing, while Chitsuko simple laughed until her sides ached with mirth.  
  
And now it was Chitsuko's turn to spin the bottle and determine the next victim. She set the bottle in the middle of the floor, the group poised around it in a somewhat disfigured circle, and gave it a good, hard spin. It whirled around and around, Botan giggling with anticipation as all eyes were upon it.  
  
It finally stopped, it's slender neck pointing directly at Kuwabara.  
  
"Kuwabara!" Chitsuko clapped her hands together and narrowed her eyes, like a hawk eyeing its prey. "Truth or dare?"  
  
"Truth!" Kuwabara crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his chin in a proud sort of way. "I cannot tell a lie... Bring it on!"  
  
"Alright... Who do you have a crush on?"  
  
Kuwabara's eyes glazed over.  
  
"She DIDN'T..." Yusuke said in dismay.  
  
"She doesn't KNOW...?" Botan moaned.  
  
"Here it comes..." Kurama said with a small smile, pressing a hand to his cheek and shaking his head.  
  
"Spare us, please." Hiei rolled his eyes and, turning to the coffee table, slammed his face into the woodwork.  
  
"Hiei-kun...!" Chitsuko seemed slightly alarmed at this strange display of disgust.  
  
"Yukinaaaaa..." It started as a low, longing moan in the back of Kuwabara's throat, then escalated until he was almost screeching the girl's name at the top of his lungs. The orange-haired boy was now standing, his hands pressed to his chest, hearts dancing in his love-struck eyes. "MY YUKINAAA!"  
  
Botan covered her ears with her hands. Keiko, who had been relatively quiet, groaned and buried her face in a couch pillow, and Yusuke joined Hiei at the coffee table, the sound of their heads smashing into the wood creating a steady, staccato rhythm.  
  
Kurama put a hand on the shoulder a bewildered Chitsuko and sighed into her ear, "We've all learned not to venture that far into Kuwabara's concious. Some of the things that come out of his mouth are quite... well, scary."  
  
Chitsuko nodded.  
  
Everyone allowed Kuwabara to calm down on his own; they found it best, since Yusuke and Hiei would not unstick their faces from the table unless it was to slam it back down onto it again. Finally, Kuwabara was sitting quietly on the floor again, and Hiei and Yusuke, both with raw, pink faces, rejoined the circle.  
  
Kuwabara, still grinning from his recollection of his beloved Yukina, reached out and spun the bottle. It spun weakly for several moments, until it finally settling, pointing in Kurama's direction.   
  
"Alright, fox-thing..."  
  
"Fox youko, Kuwabara..."  
  
"Fox-whatever," Kuwabara shot back at the redhead without a thought, "truth or dare?"  
  
The youko seemed to weigh his options carefully for a few seconds before answering, "Dare."  
  
An impish grin spread across Kuwabara's face.  
  
Chitsuko bit down hard on the inside of her cheek to keep from jumping up and slapping him. She knew what was coming.  
  
"I dare you to... kiss Chitsuko-chan!"  
  
Everyone went silent as the awkwardness seeped back into the room. No one dared breath as Kurama and Chitsuko turned to look each other in the eyes.  
  
Despite the pink in his cheeks, Kurama shrugged, feigning indifference. "He did dare me, and I am obliged to carry out my task..." He scooted closer to Chitsuko and gently took hold of her chin.  
  
Chitsuko's eyes fluttered closed and she took in a deep breath as Kurama leaned in towards her, his own shining oculars sliding shut.  
  
Hiei looked shocked. His own ruby hues were wide and, like everyone else's, staring at Kurama and Chitsuko. "He's really going to..."  
  
"WHO'S HUNGRY?"  
  
Startled, everyone jumped, Kurama breaking his hold on Chitsuko and both of them flying a foot back from each other. Atsuko Urameshi waltzed drunkenly into the room, a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a half-empty bottle of sake in the other.  
  
"I made some POPCORN!" she shouted joyfully as she set it clumsily down on the table, spilling popcorn all over its surface. Glancing around at the group of teenagers, she spotted the sake bottle. "OOOOO, SPIN THE BOTTLE!" she squealed, falling to her knees and squeezing into the circle between Keiko and her son. "I'm up for it!" She hiccuped loudly.  
  
Kurama and Chitsuko shared an embarassed glance that only Hiei caught.  
  
"Damnit..." Kurama whispered so low that only Chitsuko heard.  
  
"Actually, mom..." Yusuke said tentatively, scratching the back of his head, "we were just finishing up and getting ready to settle down and watch a movie..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
The movie finally over, the group settled into their sleeping bags, ready for sleep to come. The coffee table, riddled with marks left by Hiei and Yusuke's heads, was littered with empty soda cans and stray popcorn kernals. Two empty bowls sat on either end, a few last crumbs of chips and popcorn clinging to their sides.  
  
Atsuko Urameshi had left several hours ago for the bar, and still had not returned, leaving her nearly-drained sake bottle behind. Yusuke and Kuwabara, being the boys they were, had both taken sips and, if it hadn't been for Keiko's powerful slap, had nearly gotten drunk.   
  
The eight curled up into their haphazard blankets and clutched their pillows, drifting into a tension-filled, uneasy sleep.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Once again, Chitsuko found herself in the dreamy, dark hallway of Meiou High. She paid no attention to the darkness outside the windows or the gathering shadows in the classrooms around her. She sprinted down the hallway, only one thought on her mind.  
  
"Where ARE you?" she cried into the darkness as she began to slow down, her head whipping frantically from side to side as she searched the shadows for the man that have previously infected her dreams...  
  
"I'm right here."  
  
Two strong arms wrapped themselves around her from behind, causing her to stumble as she was pulled back tightly against a broad chest. She could feel his physical form behind her; his waist was slender, his entire figure lithe as though he do much physical activity. But there was strength in his arms, a hidden strength that could not be discovered by seeing alone.  
  
You had to feel it.  
  
A shudder ran through Chitsuko's body. In her last dream, he had not touched her. He had simply talked to her. But now he was, and she shivered suddenly and violently under the feel of his hands.  
  
"Do I frighten you?" One hand moved up to brush its knuckles softly against the girl's cheek. She breathed in sharply as his hand combed through her golden-brown tresses, curling strands around those slender digits, then traced from her neck back to her shoulder blade with two fingers.  
  
A soft, sensuous chuckle emmitted from the man behind her. "You don't even know the full power of my touch, and yet I frighten you..." His hands finally stopped to rest on her shoulders and forcefully turn her around. "I do not wish to frighten you..."  
  
Once again his hand was on her face, tilting her chin upwards to look into his startlingly violet eyes. Inky-black tresses cascaded over his shoulders and down his back, hanging slightly in those electric-purple eyes and tickling Chitsuko's cheeks. Suddenly, she fully realized how close she was to him; she was looking straight up at him, her face and his completely vertical to each other, him being quite taller than she was.  
  
With a startled cry she stepped back, pulling out of his touch. Almost immediately she missed the feel of his hands, and she couldn't understand why. Summoning up her courage once again, she recalled why she had been looking for him in the first place.  
  
"What danger were you telling me about before?"  
  
The man smiled, and her heart melted. He was truly handsome, whoever he was, but an aura of mystery and danger hung about him like a thick, soupy fog. What exactly caused this feeling, Chitsuko could not put her finger on.  
  
"I am sorry for leaving so quickly at our last meeting, but I didn't have much time..." He glanced around, as though afraid someone was secretly watching the two. "You need to understand and prepare yourself; it's going to happen soon."  
  
"What's going to happen soon?" Chitsuko took a step towards him again...  
  
The man seemed to have not heard her question. "Every youko and youkai in the three realms will feel it the moment in happens, and any ningen with spirit awareness will as well." He came forward again to grip Chitsuko by the shoulders rather forcefully. "You need to watch out for him. He will be coming for you..."  
  
"ME!? Why me?!"  
  
"He's heard stories of you and your plight against Zoutarou in the Underworld."  
  
"You know about Zoutarou? Hey... wait a minute, what do you mean 'the Underworld'?" Chitsuko's eyes shone with fear.  
  
The man looked down at her tenderly. "If need be, I will make sure he does not harm you."  
  
"Who are we talking about?" Then, as an afterthought, she added, "I don't even know your name..."  
  
He lowered his face closer to hers, as though he were about to divulge a juicy and dangerous secret. "My name is..."  
  
Without warning, Chitsuko's entire body began to burn as though flames were licking her insides. She winced as a sudden chill ran through her, completely contradicting the flames that raged through her veins. She opened her mouth to scream as a sharp, terrible pain stabbed through her heart...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko woke up with a loud, ear-piercing scream, tears and sweat pouring down her flushed face as she grabbed at her heart and rolled onto her side, curling into the fetal position.  
  
She wasn't the only one who was suffering. A tremor seemed to run through the ground beneath them as Kurama and Hiei, both broken out in sweat as well, gasped in pain and sat up with a start, their eyes squeezed shut against the sudden, uncomfortable attack. Botan was wailing and clutching Koenma, who was ashen-faced and also had his eyes squeezed shut. Yusuke seemed to be biting back pain as well, while Kuwabara flopped on the floor in a frenzy to extinguish the flames within his body.  
  
Keiko, the only one who was not affected by the tremor or plagued with pain, looked frantically around at her friends, panicing. "WHAT'S GOING ON?"  
  
As quickly as it had come, the pain vanished, and everyone, minus Keiko, fell to the floor, panting and grappling at their once-burning chests.  
  
Hiei crawled over to Chitsuko, who seemed to have suffered the worst out of all of them, and helped her to sit upright, holding her head beneath her chin so she could look up and catch her breath.  
  
"Chitsuko, what happened?"  
  
"Did you have the dream again?" Kurama was once again pale-faced, although his expression was one of stone.   
  
Weakly, Chitsuko nodded.  
  
"If my knowledge of the three realms is correct," said Koenma quietly, causing everyone to look at him. "Then we might have an extreme emergency on our hands. The universe as well know it may be doomed for eternity..."  
  
"What?" Yusuke panted, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.  
  
Koenma continued, his tone sober and deadly serious. "If I'm not mistaken, that tremor and the pain you have just felt are distinct signals that the Gates of Hell have just been illegally broken open." 


	4. Chapter 3 The Worst Is Yet To Come

Chapter 3: The Worst Is Yet To Come  
  
"It is just as I feared..."  
  
Koenma, in his toddler form, leaned forward on his desk, his small, chubby hands clutching its edges. The Reikai ruler's eyes were wide and filled with fear. The video screen before him held a frightening image of a massive, thick stone gate, its doors blown clear off their hinges and shattered into chunks and dust, leaving a wide-gaping hole in their place. Nothing could be seen beyond the hole; the view was at an angle, preventing the panic-striken group watching the image from seeing anything within. A strange red-tinted vapor seemed to waft through the gate and into the realm beyond it, and a thicker, grayish smoke showed that the Gates were still smoking from the previous attack.  
  
The Gates of Hell looked truly formidable.  
  
"I just don't understand it..." Botan said softly, the usually cheery tones absent in her voice. "How.... just how...?"  
  
"Whoever exploded those Gates open must have collected a large amount of spirit energy..." Koenma replied.  
  
"But how could he have gotten so much energy if he was dead?" Yusuke cried, exasperated and obviously annoyed.  
  
Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, Kurama, and Chitsuko had gone with Botan and Koenma back to Reikai to trace the source of the tremor and their painful ejaculations from sleep. Keiko had been brought along as well, for her own safety. The brown-eyed ningen girl now stood with Chitsuko, the two girls squeezing each other's hands for comfort.  
  
"I don't understand it," Kurama chimed in, leaning on the desk and crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't see how he could aquire so much energy, that is, unless..."  
  
"...He drained it from other dead demon souls and coveted it for himself," Koenma said quickly, banging his fist down on the desk. "But the worst is yet to come..."  
  
"How can anything be worse than Hell unleashed on Earth?" Keiko shouted. Chitsuko put a comforting arm around her to lessen her friend's trembling.  
  
Koenma eyed Keiko wearily and slumped down into his comfortable armchair, his hands gripping the armrests. "Like I said, whoever broke open the Gates must have alot of power indeed. And, being a Spirit Detective," he looked up at Yusuke, "I will be expecting you to find him and bring him to justice."  
  
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Yusuke yelled, baring his clenched teeth and pressing his face against Koenma's so that their noses rubbed uncomfortably. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I NEED TO BRING HIM TO JUSTICE?!"  
  
"You heard him, you fool," Hiei sighed. "We need to apprehend this criminal before he does any lasting damage in Ningenkai." His shimmering eyes narrowed. "Are you blind? Don't you see how much danger this world is in, now that Hell has been broken open and a demon strong enough to escape from there is running renegade throughout the realms?"  
  
"What about the others...?"  
  
All eyes were on Chitsuko, whose own eyes were still glued to the image of the Gates before them. Her voice was soft and sounded as though the girl were holding back tears, but her eyes were dry and her facial expression was one of calm determination. She was thinking.  
  
"What?" Koenma asked.  
  
"I said, what about the others?" Her voice remained quiet. "The other demons in Hell?"  
  
"Surely, they would have escaped as well," Koenma replied as he slowly opened the top right-hand drawer of his desk. "And that is where you are all needed in this mission..."  
  
Keiko started. "Even me?"  
  
"Yes, even you, Miss Yukimura."  
  
Keiko swallowed hard.  
  
Kuwabara clenched and unclenched his fists nervously. "What do we need to do?"  
  
Koenma pulled a small, dark sphere covered in patches of shimmering green light from the drawer and hand it to Chitsuko. The girl rotated it in her hands, inspecting it carefully.  
  
"But Koenma-sama...!" Botan squealed, looking disdainfully at the orb in Chitsuko's hands.  
  
"The Orb of Baast?" Yusuke's right eyebrown shot up. "What do we need that thing for?"  
  
"Orb of Baast?" Chitsuko questioned as Keiko gently took the ball from her and looked it over herself.  
  
"It's a mystical item that can steal people's souls, especially those of weak people and children," Kurama answered, gently taking the Orb from Keiko's hands. "Since most of the escaped souls will be weakened from years in Hell and simply from death itself, they will be easy to round up and catch, using this." He smiled at Koenma.  
  
"Errr... Right, what Kurama said," Koenma said sheepishly. "You will take up the case immediately..."  
  
Yusuke sighed. "Guess we don't have a choice..."  
  
"Damn right you don't!" said Koenma, sinking back into his chair once more. "My father will kill me when he gets back from vacation..."  
  
"King Yama is on vacation AGAIN?" Hiei scoffed. "I'm surprised he keeps leaving you in charge when you screw up so much..."  
  
Koenma glared at Hiei and did not respond. Instead he continued the explaination of their mission.  
  
"Right, so anyway, it may be harder than you think. Any demon that has escaped from Hell will surely have the power to manifest himself a body and mask his spirit energy... that is, if he still has any left to speak of. You can do one of two things with them: you can send them back to Hell through exocism... provided the Gates have been successfully repaired by then, or you can use the Orb of Baast to collect them until the Gates are repaired enough to dump them back in. There is one way, however, that you might be willing to try, although I doubt any of you, save perhaps Kurama, have enough spirit energy for this kind of attack..."  
  
"What is it?" Yusuke, now holding the Orb, turned to look straight at Koenma, his chocolate brown eyes flashing with determination.  
  
Koenma sighed and continued. "I really don't think you can pull this off, but alright. There is a way to use your own spirit energy to dissolve theirs, completely destroying their soul and enabling it to cause any more harm. In fact, this attack would completely demolish their existence in the realms. They would cease to exist totally."  
  
"And how do we do this...?" Hiei seemed interested.  
  
"You must let loose as much spirit energy as you can without hurting yourself, then wrap it around your opponent and force more energy into it, paralyzing and dissolving their soul from within their own body."  
  
"But what about the demon who broke open the Gates?" Botan asked nervously, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.   
  
Koenma was silent for a long moment. "Whoever he is, he has left no trace of spirit energy or any possible clues as to who he is or what he wants. But..." he looked up at Chitsuko, "you may be able to find out from the demon souls you come across in your mission. Before killing them... again... I advise you question them for information first. It would be most helpful."  
  
Kurama was the only one who nodded. "Right."  
  
"You must be careful..." The toddler now spoke to everyone, his eyes downcast and his hands clasped tightly behind his back. "We do not no where this powerful demon has ended up, and as I said before, we don't know what he's after. I have already sent Onis down to the Gates to begin repair immediately. We can't afford any more to escape, and we can't allow those that have already escaped to wreak any potentially long-term havoc in the living world."  
  
Chitsuko shuddered. This was what the man in her dreams had been warning her about. This was the danger...  
  
And whoever this demon was... was coming for her...  
  
Chitsuko gasped rather loudly, causing everyone's attention to shift to her in an instant.  
  
"Something wrong, Chitsuko-chan?" Kurama put a comforting arm around the girl.  
  
"Nothing." She shook her head. "Just scared," she lied. She couldn't tell them. Not when they were worried enough about the safety of the world around them.  
  
"Right, well..." Koenma raised his yellowy eyes to meet Chitsuko's and held them. "All you must be extremely careful. The future of the world... no... the entire universe... lies in your hands. Do not fail."  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next morning, Kurama and Chitsuko, accompanied by Hiei, returned to the Minamino residence. Not a word of the previous night's events was spoken between them as they made their way home in silence, their minds spinning with unanswered questions.  
  
Chitsuko, clutching her hardly slept-in sleeping bag tightly against her, raised her eyes from the sidewalk to look around her. Everything was as it should be; everything looked normal. To her it felt as though she had waken up from a confusing nightmare and was still trying to accept the fact that none of it was real.  
  
But it was real alright. The video screen in Koenma's office had clearly shown the Gates of Hell busted open and shattered to pieces.  
  
And whoever could have done that was walking among them right now.  
  
The girl gave an involuntary shudder and quickened her pace, eager to get home.  
  
Kurama and Hiei sped up as well, but dropped a little ways behind her as they spoke.  
  
"Kurama, when are you going to tell her?" Hiei asked the redhead without looking at him.  
  
Kurama sighed. "It's a lot harder than it looks, Hiei." His gaze settled on the back of Chitsuko's head. "Human courtship rituals are much slower than those of demons... It's not like mating, where it's what ningens would call a 'hit-and-run' sort of thing."  
  
Hiei snorted. "My God, you really care for her?" He looked off into the sky, shoving his hands in his pockets. "How charming. She could use a... whatever the ningens call it... A boyfriend."  
  
"She doesn't need a boyfriend, she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself," Kurama said quietly as Hiei moved closer to him so Chitsuko couldn't hear their conversation. "But it's not my fault that I... I..."  
  
"Spit it out, fox."  
  
But Kurama did not continue. He remained silent until the three of them finally reached the house and Hiei had sped away out of sight.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Dating?!" Botan squealed loudly, almost breaking Yusuke's eardrums. "DATING?!"  
  
"That's what Hiei said," Yusuke replied, a giant grin on his face.  
  
"What exactly did Kurama say?" Keiko asked as she poured tea for the ferrygirl and Spirit Detective sitting at her kitchen table.  
  
"DATING!" Botan screeched with glee. "FINALLY!"  
  
"Well, after Hiei supposidly left he hid in that tree in Kurama's front yard. Before they went inside, he asked Chitsuko if maybe, with all this terrible stuff going on, she'd might want to relax with him one evening and go out for coffee or something. Just the two of them." Yusuke took a long slurp of tea, eyeing Botan over the rim of his mug. "Now Botan, they haven't even gone out yet so we don't know if it's a date so you..."  
  
"DATING!" she screamed again, nearly knocking over her tea. "It's about TIME those two got it together!"  
  
"It's not official yet Botan! Besides, we're not even supposed to know that Kurama DID ask Chitsuko to go out with him," Keiko sighed as she took a seat between the two. "We don't know if Kurama actually means it to be a date or if Chitsuko wants it to be one..."  
  
"Oh, come on, Keiko! Everyone knows those two've got it for each other. BAD." He drained the rest of his tea in two large gulps and burped, causing Keiko to glare at him with disgust. "Of course it's going to be a date."  
  
"So when are they going?" Keiko took a small, dainty sip of her own tea.  
  
"They've set a date for two weeks from today. That's two Sundays from now." Yusuke chuckled. "You know, Botan's right. It's about time..." 


	5. Chapter 4 Matters of the Heart

Chapter 4: Matters of the Heart  
  
Chitsuko knew she was being followed.  
  
Without breaking her steady walking pace, Chitsuko tilted her head back and turned it sideways, getting a clear view of the expanse of sidewalk behind her. It was empty, but she scowled anyway. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was tailing her from her mind. Whoever they were must not know who she was if they were bold enough to stalk her like this, especially in broad daylight...  
  
...Or did they?  
  
With a small, supressed gasp Chitsuko snapped her head back around, her two long, low braids swishing gently as she did so.  
  
Could the man from her dreams be following her?  
  
"I still don't know his name..." she lamented aloud as she continued her walk to Meiou High.  
  
She was walking alone this morning. Kurama had left home already by the time she had woken up from a dreamless sleep, the next in a line of several following the sudden breaking of the Gates of Hell. She had not dreamed of the handsome, violet-eyed man who's touch had made her shiver, who frightened Kurama in a way she did not know, who had made a lone promise to protect her when she was in danger...  
  
"If need be, I will make sure he does not harm you."  
  
But who was the "he" that the violet-eyed man spoke of? Who was after her?  
  
And who was this man in the first place?  
  
Her thoughts floated back to Kurama. He hadn't been home when she woke up, much to her disappointment. Before Shiori had even told her where he was, Chitsuko knew she would be heading off to school alone that morning. His dear ningen mother said that he had gone to pick up a few supplies before school started.  
  
She knew he was going to see Hiei.  
  
She sighed. Hiei had been unusally odd around Kurama since the Gates had been broken open. No, odd wasn't the word for it. Racking her brain, Chitsuko came up with the perfect singular word to describe Hiei's behavior.  
  
Jumpy.  
  
The youkai was jumpy.  
  
But why?  
  
Hiei had no reason to be jumpy around Kurama. The two demons had known each other longer than anyone else in the Reiki Tantei. Chitsuko was the newcomer, and after her entire ordeal battling Zoutarou and uncovering the secrets of her past, she was completely at home with Kurama. He made her feel safe, comfortable...  
  
...Loved...  
  
But then again, Hiei wasn't planning a secret date with Kurama. Chitsuko smiled to herself and giggled. Her and Kurama were the only two that knew about their date. They had decided not to mention it to Yusuke or Kuwabara, and certainly not Botan. The word would have been spread so fast their heads would spin just trying to trace the route of the rumor. They didn't tell Keiko, because they didn't know what she would make of it. Koenma was out of the question. But it had been Kurama's suggestion to not tell Hiei. Why they couldn't tell Hiei, Chitsuko didn't understand. Hiei would die before he divulged a secret, and yet Kurama acted as though he didn't want Hiei to know...  
  
Chitsuko sighed. "Kurama..."  
  
"Who's Kurama? I thought you were Shuichi's 'friend', huh?"  
  
The voice was almost nasaly, with an accusatory tone. Chitsuko, who had been lost in her thoughts, took a moment to recover herself and settled back into reality before turning around to greet the person who belonged to the oh-so-familiar... and obnoxious... voice.  
  
"Mayaka Kawaii."  
  
Chitsuko could not deny that Mayaka was pretty. Her elbow-length black hair shone brilliantly in the morning sunlight. Her rounded, delicate face was scrunched in a pouty expression, her lips slightly puckered, her thin eyebrows knitted together. She stood rigidly straight, gripping her book bag tightly in front of her as she scrutinized Chitsuko with her honey-colored eyes.  
  
Chitsuko smiled, not unkindly, at her fellow Meiou High student. "Good morning."  
  
There was a short pause before Mayaka relaxed her posture and replied, "Good morning."  
  
Wordlessly, the two fell into step beside each other and continued their treck to the school. Out of the corner of her eye, Chitsuko noticed that Mayaka kept glancing over at her, almost nervously.  
  
"Is something wrong, Mayaka?"  
  
"No," was the short, quick answer, followed by a question of her own. "Why aren't you walking with Shuichi?"  
  
Chitsuko shrugged. "He had something to do this morning, that's all."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
Chitsuko shrugged again. "I don't know. He wasn't there when I woke up..."  
  
"When you woke up?" Mayaka halted in her tracks and stared at Chitsuko, her eyes wide. Her jaw dropped, allowing her mouth to hang open ever so slightly.  
  
The golden-haired girl, sudden aware that Mayaka was no longer beside her, turned to look at her. "What?" she asked innocently.  
  
"You two... didn't..." It was clear that the girl was becoming more and more furious with every word.  
  
"NO!" Chitsuko said a little too loudly, shaking her head back and forth violently, her face already heated with a fresh flow of blood to her cheeks. "No, no, no..." She repeated, as though she needed convincing herself that nothing of that sort had happened between her and Kurama.  
  
Mayaka eyed Chitsuko suspiciously, then continued walking. Chitsuko hurried to resume her place next to her as the Meiou High School building loomed into view.  
  
"You better not."  
  
"Why?"  
  
With a vain toss of her sleek black hair, Mayaka snorted. "Why? I'll tell you why..." Her voice rose slightly. "Because he's mine, got it?"  
  
"But..."  
  
"No buts, I claimed him long before you came along, Chit-chan."  
  
Mayaka spat Chitsuko's pet name as though it was her trump card. Chitsuko scowled slightly, wishing Kurama hadn't referred to her in public using the name her ningen father had given her.  
  
"You can't claim someone as though they were property."  
  
"Yes I can."  
  
"Who gave you the right?"  
  
"Me."  
  
"Shuichi-kun is not an object..."  
  
"Shuichi-kun is mine, end of story." With a small yawn, the vicious gleam in Mayaka's eyes faded as she turned to Chitsuko. Her face was relatively normal, and no one would have guessed she had just come out of one of her evil possessive-streaks a moment ago. "So how did you do on the math homework?"  
  
Chitsuko, a bit taken aback, openly chuckled and proceeded to give Mayaka an explaination of how her homework had turned out. Mayaka listened intently, nodding ever so often and putting in her own comments where she felt it appropriate.  
  
Once they got the the school's entrance, they stopped. Mayaka glanced around, then threw a shift glance over her shoulder at Chitsuko as she walked away. "You just remember what I said about Shuichi. Hands off. I'll see you in math!" And with the most fake smile Chitsuko had ever seen, Mayaka skipped off to join her two cronies just inside the doors.  
  
We could actually be pretty good friends, Chitsuko thought to herself as she made her way into the building and down the hallway towards her first period class, writing. She laughed silently at this thought as she made he way into the room and sat down.  
  
Yeah. If only she weren't such a bitch.  
  
"Chitsuko!"  
  
The golden-haired girl looked up just as a short boy with tight black curls slid into the seat in front of her. His freckled face was stretched in a wide grin, and there was a pink tinge in his cheeks.  
  
"Kaito." Chitsuko nodded a greeting. "What's up?"  
  
"Oh, n-nothing..." Kaito face flushed a violent shade of red.  
  
"You sure? You look all hot and bothered..."  
  
"Hell yeah! I mean..." Kaito's hands clasped together near his stomach and he fumbled to recover himself. "I mean, a bit." He scratched the back of his head. "Listen Chitsuko, I just wanted to know if... well... maybe... if you want to..."  
  
"Kaito, I'm not going to bite you," Chitsuko said with a small smile. Kaito was a nice boy, although him and Kurama didn't seem to get along very well at times. Kaito was always trying to outdo the redhead, but every attempt so far had failed to top the fox demon-in-disguise. "Just say it."  
  
"Well... Do you think you'd like to go out with me and see a movie or something?"  
  
"Oh. When?"  
  
"I'm going to be at my uncle's this weekend, so how about the following Sunday?" Kaito's grin widened; he was clearly pleased with himself.  
  
"Oh! I can't, you see, Shuichi and I are going..."  
  
But Kaito didn't seem to hear her. "We can go to movie, maybe get something to eat..."  
  
"Kaito, I can't, I'm going out with..."  
  
"...Or we can talk a walk at twilight, when all the stars start to come out, or go back to my black and, uh... well... we can..."  
  
"KAITO, I'M GOING OUT WITH SHUICHI!"  
  
The classroom, which had been filled with chattering students waiting for class to start, went dead silent.  
  
Chitsuko squeezed her eyes shut and swore under her breath.  
  
The shock seemed to sink into all the students at once.  
  
"You're WHAT?!"  
  
In an instant, Chitsuko was surrounding, everyone pushing and shoving to get close enough to Chitsuko to ask her questions. The girl blushed furiously in her seat and kept her eyes trained on her desk, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes or have to answer any of their questions.  
  
"Where are you too going?"  
  
"You do mean Shuichi Minamino, right? THE Shuichi Minamino?"  
  
"I thought he wasn't into girls!"  
  
"I thought he wasn't into anyone at all..."  
  
"Noooooooooo Shuichiiiiiiiii!"  
  
"Of all the guys in this school, she got the one no one could seduce..."  
  
"Why did you pick him?"  
  
"WHY NOT ME?"  
  
"You're DATING?"  
  
"Well..." Chitsuko finally spoke up, amidst all the chatter and squealing that tumbled around her. But she was saved from explaining any further as the classroom door slid open and Kurama himself strolled into the room.  
  
The redhead took one look at everyone and immediately knew something was wrong. Locking eyes with Chitsuko, who sat huddled in their midst, desperately trying to ignore them, he guess right away what all the fuss was about.  
  
"Shuichi." Kaito stood up, causing the throng of students to back away and retreat to their owns desks in silence. The boy crossed the room until he was level with Kurama, staring him straight in the face. "Are you and Chitsuko-chan really going out?"  
  
The class held their breath. A few girls had their fingers crossed.  
  
Kurama bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes with a smile.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Nothing could describe the loud, raucous noise that followed his statement. It sounding like something between a moan and a gasp, emmiting from the throats of everyone in the classroom, a mixture of pain and disappointment, surprise and shock. Kurama, ignoring this whole show, sat himself down in the desk beside Chitsuko and sent a warm smile her way.  
  
Chitsuko whimpered with ecstacy and smiled back as best she could without fainting.  
  
The classroom door slid open again and the students rushed to their seats as a tall, gangly-looking bald man with coke-bottle glasses entered the room. Sliding the door shut behind him, he went to stand behind the teacher's desk.  
  
"Your regular writing teacher had fallen ill, and recovery looks to be a long way away. I am Mr. Amaya, and I will be filling in for your teacher until a more perminent substitute is found for this class." Mr. Amaya turned to write his name on the board as the students whispered among themselves.  
  
"Miss Chiba is ill?"  
  
"But she was perfectly fine yesterday..."  
  
"I wonder what she's got?"  
  
"Maybe she's pregnant."  
  
"Idiot. She couldn't be pregnant. She's ugly as a horse."  
  
"Now," said Mr. Amaya, turning to face the students once more. "I see that in your lesson plan, you are about to start creative writing..."  
  
He was interrupted as the classroom door slid open again with a loud bang. The students jumped in their seats and craned their necks towards the doorway to see who the culprit was.  
  
Mr. Amaya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "May I help you, young man?"  
  
Girls swooned and sighed. Boys seethed with jealousy and newly-blossomed hatred. And everyone except Kurama and Chitsuko seemed captivated by this newcomer.  
  
He wore the Meiou High uniform and left it unzipped down to the top of his chest, giving everyone a clear glimpse of his well-built pectorals. His hair was white-blonde and hung slightly in his unnaturally pale blue eyes, creating shadows over the smooth, peachy skin on his face. His body was well-built yet slender, and already several girls were eyeing him hungrily, licking their lips in the satisfaction of merely glimpsing this eye candy.  
  
"May I help you?" Mr. Amaya repeated.  
  
The body reached into his pocket and took out a folded piece of paper. He shoved it into the teacher's hands without showing any interest in where he was.  
  
"Ah, class..." Mr. Amaya said after a moment of silent reading, "this is Shigo Aino. He is a new student here from..." Mr. Amaya squinted at the paper. "This doesn't say where you're from. Where are you from, Mr. Aino?"  
  
"Somewhere." His voice was cool and calm, dark and deep, yet light and airy at the same time. Chitsuko felt herself drifting into a state of strange calm at the sound of this voice. The rest of the class seemed to have the same reaction.  
  
"I see..." Mr. Amaya coughed and shooed Shigo away to find a desk. "Anyway, Mr. Aino here will be your classmate from now on. I trust you will show him around and help him get used to this school. And please, do be kind."  
  
A girl behind Chitsuko chuckled. "I'll be more than kind..." Another made a light, orgasmic whimper, much to Chitsuko's digust.  
  
To her surprise, Shigo slid into the empty seat behind her. The boy tapped her on the shoulder, and Chitsuko turned around to face him.  
  
"Hey," he said in his hypnotically sweet voice. His eyes seemed to bore into hers, and Chitsuko found that she could not break his gaze. "Did it hurt when you fell out of Heaven?"  
  
It was the cheesiest pickup line Chitsuko had ever heard... And yet she found herself giggling like the schoolgirl she was.  
  
"Chitsuko."  
  
"Hm?" Chitsuko turned to look at Kurama, who was glaring icily at Shigo. "Yes, Shuichi?" She began to feel herself slip out of Shigo's spell as their eye contact was broken. Shaking her head once to rid herself of the feeling, she met Kurama's eyes and asked again, "Yes?"  
  
"...Nothing..." Kurama turned and pulled out his notebook and a pencil, ready to take notes on the assignment Mr. Amaya had begun to ramble on about in the front of the class.  
  
Once again, Chitsuko felt Shigo's fingers on her shoulder and his captivating voice slid into her ears.  
  
"I hope you don't mind if I tag along after you for a while. You know, just until I know the ropes..."  
  
"Sure, not at all," Chitsuko replied without turning around.  
  
Next to her, Kurama's pencil snapped in two in his hands.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"It's not fair..."  
  
Mayaka kicked at a stone and watched it roll down the sidewalk. She sulked after it, kicking it along with her as she made her way home after school.  
  
"Why does Chitsuko get all the good guys?"  
  
Indeed, it seemed unfair. Chitsuko had suddenly arrived in Meiou High less than a week ago, and had won Shuichi Minamino's heart. And now, this new boy, Shigo Aino, seemed to be ethralled by her. Damn, he was even sexier than Shuichi, in a dangerous sort of way...  
  
But why Chituko and not Mayaka?  
  
"What's so special about her anyway?" the black-haired girl asked herself as she glanced up at the sky without pouting honey-colored eyes. "Once, just ONCE I wish I could have luck like her... Little slut..." Mayaka was almost near tears as she rounded the corner that would bring her onto her street...  
  
...And stopped suddenly as she slammed into someone.  
  
"Hey, what where you're..." Mayaka stopped and held her breath as she put a name to the face before her. "Shigo Aino?"  
  
Shigo smiled his enticing smile and shifted his weight onto one hip, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he did so. "Mayaka Kawaii."  
  
Mayaka, dumb with desire, nodded. "What are you... doing... here?"  
  
"Looking for you."  
  
"Why me?" A scowled soiled Mayaka's pretty features. "Should you be chasing Chitsuko?"  
  
Shigo shook his head, his shaggy bangs shifting over his eyes. "There is plenty of time for that later. Right now I wish to speak to Mayaka."  
  
"Well, you've got her. Now what?"  
  
Shigo grinned. "I have a proposition to make."  
  
Mayaka looked confused. "For what?"  
  
"You desire the heart of Shuichi Minamino, am I correct?"  
  
"Yes, but how did you..."  
  
"Never question my methods." Shigo took a step forward, bringing himself dangeously closer to Mayaka. The black-haired girl could feel the heat radiating off his body and she nearly swooned on the spot. "Do you want Shuichi Minamino or not?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"Well then... I can give you something that will help you to seduce Shuichi Minamino."  
  
"Sounds too good to be true. Or legal. What's the catch?"  
  
"You give me something in return."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Let me touch you."  
  
"PERVERT!" Mayaka backed away, swinging her school bag.   
  
Shigo held his hands up defensively and laughed. "No, no, not like that. I'm no molester."  
  
"Sure you are..."  
  
"Honestly..." Shigo closed the gap betwen him and Mayaka and pressed two fingers to her forhead. "Like this. See?"  
  
"I..." Mayaka's voice halted in her throat. She felt funny, dizzy, and a black curtain began to close over her vision. Mayaka gasped for air and it rushed into her lungs, cold and stale, and she choked on it. She felt like she was floating, and then suddenly she was sinking, unbearable heat closing in around her body, burning like hellfire...  
  
And then she felt fine. Tossing her hair over her shoulder and opening her eyes she asked, "Well? When do I get this... this THING?"  
  
"I've already given it to you," was Shigo's soft reply.  
  
Mayaka looked around. "I don't see it."  
  
"It's inside of you. It's power."  
  
"...Baka."  
  
"I am serious. Look within yourself."  
  
"If you say so, Pretty Boy." Mayaka rolled her eyes then closed them, searching for a sign of anything within her that would remotely resemble power.  
  
And she found it.  
  
Close to her heart she found a pool of lime-green light, pulsing with energy. Reaching out to it, she felt it's power course through her veins and she sighed at its invigorating feel.  
  
"Wow..." Opening her eyes, she asked, "What is it?"  
  
"It's spirit energy."  
  
"Spirit energy?"  
  
"It's energy you can use to defend yourself, spiritually speaking," Shigo explained. "But in your case, it is a persuasive kind of power that can allow you to trap other into your will by using your mind. Use it wisely..." This last sentence was quiet, almost like a deadly warning.  
  
"I see... But how did YOU get this power?"  
  
"Like I said before..." Shigo said gently as he walked past Mayaka and turned the corner out of sight, "never question my methods."  
  
Mayaka stared after him for a moment, blinking rapidly with confusion as she thought over what had just happened. "Sexy... but strange." Then she continued down the sidewalk to her home, giddy with the fresh new power that bubbled within her. 


	6. Chapter 5 Bakudan

Brownie points to anyone who knows what "bakudan" means, and double brownie points to anyone who can point out why I used it for a name for a certain character... ;D Enjoy!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 5: Bakudan  
  
To Chitsuko, things couldn't possibly get any worse.  
  
First there was Mayaka. The girl continued her two-faced routine, dropping the occasional threat every now and then to let Shuichi go or else. Chitsuko ignored these; she was determined to hold onto her date with Kurama, even if she had to fight for it now. It was an ongoing cat fight for the both of them. Both girls' personalities were willful and strong with no intentions of backing down, hence making their frequent arguments longer than necessary. But afterwards, Mayaka was always the one pretending it didn't happen and cozying up to Chitsuko once more for a friendly chat, much to the little fox's confusion.  
  
Then there was Kurama. He continued to be he normal, calm self, and was especially sweet when the two were alone. At home, he did a fair amount of the cooking and did worked with Chitsuko to keep the house in order while Shiori was away. The fox took good care of his charge, making sure that she was never hurting or upset.  
  
It was all he could do to calm her as they started their search for the renegade demons that week.  
  
But in school, Kurama always seemed a bit on edge, tense even. And his blood seemed to run cold in his veins when a certain blonde boy entered the room...  
  
It was Shigo that bothered him.  
  
And Shigo was a major part of Chitsuko's problems as well. Not only did he insist on being as close to her as possible whenever he got the chance, but he left notes in her lockers. Not notes, love letters. Racy love letters. Letters than lit Chitsuko's cheeks on fire and sent her sprinting into the bathroom, gasping to control her breath and disgust.  
  
And who this boy really was, Chitsuko still didn't know. No one questioned where he came from or his devillishly handsome appearance. No one bothered, no one cared.  
  
And Chitsuko continuously turned down his advances, though it took all of her will power to do something. Something about his gaze made he want to drop all of her defenses and surrender to him right there... an act she never would have thought herself capable of. Shaking the terribly image from her mind, she would tear her eyes from Shigo's and look away, keeping her gaze trained on something else until his presence finally left her. And afterward, she knew she could always find comfort in Kurama's arms.  
  
Hiei had adopted a new habit of sitting around in the trees outside of the Meiou High building on school days, watching and waiting for Chitsuko and Kurama to leave. He would remained hidden by the leaves from morning until afternoon, when the two foxes finally look their leave of their classes and headed home. Half of this routine was out of boredom.  
  
The other half was for protection out of corcern.  
  
Hiei would make sure the pair got home safely, and if he didn't stay for dinner he would normally run off into the twilight, and would not be seen again until the following morning.  
  
Hiei, Yusuke, Keiko, Botan, and Kuwabara soaked up the information Kurama and Chitsuko gave them like sponges. All of them were deathly suspicious of Shigo, whether he seemed innocent for now or not. Hiei made a threat to slit the boy's throat if he ever tried to get too close to Chitsuko, and the girl was more than happy to allow it. But the gang didn't have much time to think about their problems at school; Koenma sent Yusuke the Orb of Baast and the hunt for the demons that escaped from Hell began.  
  
So far, none of the rouges had dared to rear their ugly, undead heads with the Reiki Tantei patrolling the streets. The group stayed together for now, just in case a rather powerful demon chose to attack them; they fought more effectively in numbers. The Orb was still empty of souls after the first week, and the group was beginning to feel anxious.  
  
"I don't understand it," Keiko said one day as the group strolled around the park, searching for demonic souls. "Wouldn't at least one demon have shown up by now?"  
  
"I would think so," was Yusuke's glum reply. "I can't image what they might be doing now..."  
  
"Yeah..." Chitsuko whispered inaudibly to herself. "Especially the one that broke the Gates..." She hugged herself and shivered slightly.  
  
Kurama, walking next to her, was the only one who heard. Gently, the youko put a comforting arm around her shoulders.  
  
* * * * *  
  
One particularly dark night, Chitsuko found herself longing to be visited by the violet-eyed man in her dreams.  
  
Throwing the covers off of her, she slid out of bed and cross to the window. She flung it open and leaned on the sill, glancing up into the night sky that was slowly warming up in preparation for spring. The moon and stars were blocked by thick clouds bloated with tomorrow's rain.  
  
Chitsuko sighed. "Where are you?" she asked quietly, her eyes never leaving the sky. "You said you would make sure he didn't harm me, if you had to do it yourself... So where are you?" Her voice became softer. "I want to see you... Please?"  
  
She remembered how good his touch felt, how gentle, as though she were a baby and he were rocking her to sleep. She closed her eyes as phantom fingers trailed across her cheeks, down her neck, and over her shoulder blades. Finally, they slid around her waist along with hands and arms, holding her tightly in a protective embrace...  
  
And then the feeling was suddenly gone and she opened her eyes with a start.  
  
That was too real to be her imagination.  
  
She was sure she felt him.  
  
The door to her room creaked open and she whirled around to face Kurama.  
  
"Can't sleep?"  
  
"Uh uh." The girl shook her head.  
  
Kurama joined her at the window, also allowing his eyes to focus on the rainclouds above. "I need to talk to you."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About your dreams."  
  
"Okay..." Chitsuko twirled a strand of hair around her finger nervously. "What about them?"  
  
Kurama sighed and his gaze fell to the ground. "It's about this... this man that has been coming into your dreams. He was in mine once as well."  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"I knew him once."  
  
"Really?" Chitsuko leaned on the sill, her eyes locked on Kurama. "Who was he?"  
  
Kurama took a shaky breath before he answered. He had gone slightly pale, and his eyes were filled with what Chitsuko recognized as a calm sort of terror.  
  
"He was an opponent of mine in the Ankoku Bujutsukkai... I know that Yusuke and Hiei have told you about our experiences at that tournament, but I doubt they have mentioned much about our round against Team Toguro... especially my fight..." The redhead pressed his hand to his cheek and closed his eyes as he pulled the terrible memories from the back of his mind. "My fight was a rather... No... I can't describe it in words... But my opponent was the most strange, mysterious, and sadistic person I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. Before our fight, he taunted me, teased me... And when he touched me, he left me both screaming for mercy and longing for his caress once more... and to this day I have no idea what made me think like that..." Kurama slumped against the wall, his face creased with pain and sorrow.  
  
Chitsuko remembered the way the man in her dreams had touched her. She had wanted... no, needed... to feel him touch her again. It was calming, soothing... and terrifying.  
  
"What..." Chitsuko swallowed hard. "What was his name...?"  
  
Kurama's eyes opened, his emerald hues shining with tears he was too strong to shed... and yet his entire body shook as he breathed the name in a whisper.  
  
"Karasu."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Bye bye, Chitsuko!" Mayaka waved to the girl, a sickeningly-sweet grin plastered on her face, as she left the classroom. Once her back was to Chitsuko, the grin was replaced with a sorrowful scowl.  
  
Mayaka sighed. She had been experimenting with the power that Shigo had given her for the past week. Not only had she managed to charm her water-hating cat into diving into her bathtub, she had magically convinced her parents to leave the house for the weekend. This gave her time to ponder her coercive powers and create a plan that would be ideal for seducing Shuichi Minamino.  
  
The black-haired girl smiled to herself. All she had to do now was bide her time and wait for the perfect moment to strike...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Shigo's pale blue eyes scanned the rows of desks as he slid into the classroom. Students were grouped together in the corner and around desks, chattering away about homework and gossiping about the newest school couples... Shuichi Minamino and Chitsuko Ichihara being one of them.   
  
Finally his eyes came to rest on someone sitting in the front row: Shuichi Minamino himself.  
  
Without acknowledging any of the others around him, he slid into the desk beside Shuichi and propped his feet up on the desk. Shuichi didn't even look up from the open book on his desk.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hello," Shuichi responded coldly as he turned a page.  
  
"Whatcha readin'?"  
  
"A book. You should try it sometime."  
  
"Ouch." Shigo laughed and snatched the book off of Shuichi's desk.  
  
In one fluid movement, Shuichi reached out, and the book was suddenly back on the desk in front of him.  
  
Shigo blinked once, then whistled. "Those are some reflexes you got there. Say, where's your girlfriend?"  
  
This time Shuichi did not answer.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Meanwhile, Chitsuko was dashing down the empty corridor, one hand clutching her schoolbag, the other trying to prevent her short magenta-purple shirt from flying up and revealing her panties.   
  
"Damnit, I'm late for writing!" she panted as she darted into the stairwell and flew down the steps two at a time. With all this schoolgirl nonsense going on around her, with Mayaka and Shigo and Kurama all working her mind up into a frenzy, she academic performance hadn't been up to her usual overly-high standards. She cursed herself as she exited the stairwell and and quicky rounded the corner, nearly bumping into a teacher carrying a briefcase and heading in the same direction.  
  
"Excuse me!" Chitsuko called over her shoulder without turning around.  
  
"Stop."  
  
It was a command, and the sensuous, lilting tone of the voice made her obey. She halted in her tracks, frozen with confusion, fear, and excitment, her heart thundering in her chest.  
  
That voice...  
  
A gentle hand was on her shoulder, and now it spinning her around...  
  
The first thing Chitsuko saw was a slender, broad-chested body clothed in a black suit and red button-down. Moving her gaze upward, she scanned over pin-straight, inky-black hair they fell over the shoulders and down the back. But what really made her heart stop were the violet eyes the locked on hers as the mouth curved in a sensuous, almost excited smile.  
  
"Ka...Ka..."  
  
The man's hand was over her mouth now. Chitsuko looked him over silently; he was extremely handsome, almost dangerously so, and he had an aura of mystery hanging about him...  
  
Through his hand, Chitsuko murmured his name.  
  
The man nodded. "Yes, it is me. I told you I'd come for you, if need be."  
  
Chitsuko could only nod.  
  
"Now," the man said quietly, "I am going to take my hand away. You are not going to scream, and you are not going to say anything. We have never met before."  
  
Chitsuko nodded again.  
  
"Good girl." He removed his hand, then took a step back. His gaze ran up and down her form several times before he said, "So the stories were true..."  
  
"What stories?" Chitsuko whispered croakily.  
  
The man chuckled. "You are very pretty in your human form..."  
  
Chitsuko blushed and dropped her gaze to the floor.  
  
The man put a gentle hand under her chin and leaned down until he caught her eye. "You run along to class now. I will be seeing you soon."  
  
"How soon?" Chitsuko gasped as he ran his fingers across his cheek and over her eyelids.  
  
"Very..." He straightened up. "Now go."  
  
With one last nod Chitsuko turned on her heel and sped down the hallway without looking back once.  
  
The man from her dreams had actually come...  
  
She flung open the door to her writing class and dashed to her seat beside Kurama. Still panting, she took out her notebook and a pen, then smoothed her hair out as Kurama looked over at her.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
It's best I not tell him... He's afraid of him as it is... But then again, I've never kept anything from Kurama... Chitsuko thought to herself with a sigh. Finally, turning to Kurama, she said, "Nothing. Just ran down a few floors, that's all."  
  
"Ah." Kurama nodded and pulled out his own supplies.  
  
Shigo, sitting on the other side of Kurama, snickered. "I could make you pant harder than that..."  
  
The girl shot Shigo a look of contempt and disgust, then started as a shadowy figure filled the doorway.  
  
The violet-eyed man strode over to the desk in the front of the room and put his briefcase down on the desk. Straightening his collar, he looked over the students in their seats before him and smiled warmly.  
  
"Hello, class," he said in his lilting, sensuous voice. "I am going to be your permanent substitute, so to say, until your regular writing teacher is well again." He turned around to write his name on the chalkboard in flowing white cursive. "My name is Mr. Bakudan." He looked back at the class and the smile grew wider as it settled on Kurama and Chitsuko in the front row. "I'm sure it's going to be a pleasure teaching all of you."  
  
Kurama's face had gone as white as chalk, and his ivy-green eyes were wide with blind terror. Only Chitsuko heard him whisper to himself as he eyed Mr. Bakudan with fear, hatred, and disbelief.  
  
"Karasu..." 


	7. Chapter 6 Confidence

Chapter 6: Confidence  
  
It was by far the most terrifying week of Kurama's life in Ningenkai.  
  
Karasu had been among the demons to escape from Hell and had managed to manifest himself a body. How he had tracked Kurama down, the redhead could not imagine. And why Karasu had decided to include Chitsuko in his little scheme, which he had yet to reveal, was unfathomable.  
  
Chitsuko's reactions were a different story entirely.  
  
She seemed indifferent, almost pleased that Karasu was around. She only flinched slightly at his touch. The rest of the time, she was eagarly attempting to charm him with the poems and short stories she wrote for his writing class. If these worked, Kurama couldn't tell, for Karasu let no outward sign betray what he was thinking.  
  
Kurama wasn't the only one who noticed how taken Miss Ichihara was with Mr. Bakudan. Shigo kept a close eye on the girl, and a fearsome hate for the teacher began to grow within him. He continued to fight with Shuichi Minamino for the girl's attention, but she hardly paid any attention to either of them. However, when she wasn't brooding over Mr. Bakudan, she was always in the redhead's company.  
  
Mayaka, devilishly jealous that Chitsuko had managed to captivate Shuichi, the new boy, and now the beyond-sexy substitute writing teacher, had become fed up with waiting. She would act as soon as possible, when no one was looking and when the golden-haired, sugar-coated slut least expected it...  
  
Chitsuko wouldn't know what hit her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
With an exasperated sigh, Shigo settled himself against the trunk of the tree. Peeking through the leaves that hid him from view of passerbys, he finally spotted who he had been looking for.  
  
Chitsuko Ichihara was walking down the sidewalk, idly swinging her school bag from side to side with one hand. The other hand combed through her long, wavy tresses, then reached up towards the sky. Shigo heard her laugh with mirth as she slipped off the sidewalk and onto the grass, where she threw herself down at the base of tree he sat in.  
  
He watched hungrily as she stretched out her arms and legs, the short skirt of her Meiou High uniform hiking dangerously high over her thighs. She hugged her knees to her chest and let her head rest on the soft bark of the trunk behind her as she pushed her school bag aside. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the sweet spring air, then fell silent.  
  
She was alone.  
  
"This is your chance..." Shigo murmured to himself as he leapt down from the tree and landed softly on his knees in front of her.  
  
Chitsuko's eyes flew open with a start and she gasped lightly.  
  
She was beautiful. It took all of Shigo's will power to keep himself from pouncing on her immediately, but no, he had to talk to her first...  
  
The boy shook his head once to clear his mind. Falling in love with his prey hadn't been part of his plan...  
  
He straightened up as he looked down at her, frightened and apprehensive.  
  
Was he falling in love with her?  
  
He didn't give himself time to answer his own question. The next moment, Chitsuko was on her feet and backed against the tree, Shigo's knee pressed between her legs, pinning her there.  
  
Chitsuko cried out softly and raised her hand to slap him, but he caught both her wrists and pinned them to her sides. She struggled against him and lifted her right leg to kick him.  
  
Calling forth his coercive spirit energy, Shigo used his power to force her leg back down and keep her arms pinned to her sides. He grinned innocently at her, taking a step back to look her up and down.  
  
"You know you want me," he cooed.  
  
"In your dreams. You're not my type." Chitsuko glared at him defiantly as she struggled against the force of his spirit energy. "What the hell have you done to me...?"  
  
"Now now, the more you struggle..." he forced his energy to surround her completely, "...the harder it presses down on you."  
  
Chitsuko squeezed her eyes shut against the feeling running through her body. Her entire front side felt as though it was being pressed against a smooth, solid wall. Her breasts ached from the crushing sensation. She wasn't in pain, but the feeling Shigo's power gave her made her moan as the invisible wall pressed harder and harder down on her...  
  
"What... are you doing...?" she managed to whimper as she opened her eyes.  
  
And then the wall was gone and it was Shigo's body pressing down on her, grinding his hips against her own. She was fully aware how uncomfortably close she was to him, and she began to struggled against his psychic bonds once more.  
  
Although she was squirming frantically, Shigo took full notice of the heavy red flush that stained Chitsuko's cheeks as she cried out for him to let her go. He moved forward and planted a soft kiss on one blushing cheek.  
  
"Don't try to fight it... You know you're enjoying it... Hanyou Kohana..."  
  
Chitsuko's gasp of shock and fear was muffled by his mouth moving roughly over hers...  
  
"GET OFF OF HER!"  
  
Out a nowhere, black shadow swooped down on Shigo, knocking him away from the tree and breaking his concentration. This gave Chitsuko time to raise her leg high enough to kick the boy squarely in the face. Shigo stumbled back and made a face as he tasted blood.  
  
"You are fiesty..." he said with a small, uncertain grin as he straightened up. Chitsuko noticed that there was a long, shallow gash across his back now.  
  
Looking around, she spotted the shadow. Hiei was standing beside her, his katana drawn and dripping with fresh blood.  
  
"I suggest you leave her alone and never so much as look at her again," he said threateningly. He glanced sideways at Chitsuko for a brief instant before taking a step towards Shigo. "Go. Now."  
  
"Hey, hey, I was just playing with her..." Shigo winked at Chitsuko, then turned and strutted off down the sidewalk without looking back.  
  
When he was a good block away from the two of them, Shigo reached back to feel his wound. There was no blood and the gash in his shirt had been repaired. His wound had healed already. The boy sighed once more as he leaned against the fence, looking boredly at the people that walked by. "Looks as though my plan's got a few kinks to work out..."  
  
Chitsuko, dumbstruck, murmured, "How...did he know...?"  
  
"That's not important right now..." Hiei turned his head and spat on the ground where Shigo had been standing. "He was doing more than playing with you..."  
  
Chitsuko shivered uncomfortably at the memory.  
  
Hiei's hard gaze softened as it rested on her, standing there, trembling with fear and confusion. Picking her school bag up off the ground, the youkai held it out to her. She took it with a whispered, "Thank you," before the two feel into an awkward, unnecessary silence.  
  
Like so many times before, Hiei swept Chitsuko into his arms and cradled her like a child as he sprinted off into the afternoon sunlight, making his was towards Kurama's house. He was not at all surprised, but almost pleased, when Chitsuko settled herself against him for the journey home.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"And now, if you would please hand in your love poems..." Mr. Bakudan stood up and walked around his desk as the rustling of paper and murmuring of students filled the room. He paraded up and down the aisles of desks, collecting the sheets of paper that the students handed to him.  
  
Getting a job at Meiou High had been easy. The real writing teacher was indeed ill, and all Karasu had to do was conjure up a realistic, but fake, resume to land the substitute job. And, of course, prevent every other eligible substitute from applying for the position. That had been the hard part, enchanting numerous middle-aged women to discourage them from volunteering. Of course, it had also been the less pleasurable part of the crow's whole plan.  
  
Karasu smiled down at Chitsuko as he collected her paper. He was pleased that the girl was so taken with him. He had been afraid she would hate him... Of course Kurama would have told her stories about the Ankoku Bujutsukkai, after the series of dreams Karasu had sent the two foxes. But Kurama's warnings seemed to hardly affect her.  
  
And now she sat in front of him, her mouth set in a straight, unemotional line, blinking her stormy blue-gray eyes back up at him as though she couldn't care less who he was. But Karasu could see the gears working in her head, and knew for a fact that, to Kurama's dismay and confusion, the girl trusted him.  
  
Karasu put a hand on Chitsuko's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "I am especially looking forward to reading yours, Miss Ichihara."  
  
Chitsuko simply nodded and lowered her eyes, a faint blush in her cheeks.  
  
"And yours, Mr. Minamino..."  
  
And then his hands were on Kurama's shoulders once again. How they itched to slid up the boy's neck and into his hair, just like they had that fateful day, backstage at the Ankoku Bujutsukkai...  
  
"Mine aren't as good as you believe..." The boy shifted in his chair, tilting his head back and sideways to look the impostor teacher in the eye, "Mr. Bakudan." The name shot like a dart into Karasu's ears as the boy's glittering emerald eyes bore into his own violet hues.  
  
Karasu straightened up, unable to do anything but nod, and made his way back to his desk.   
  
Kurama still hated him...  
  
But Karasu couldn't blame him. No matter.  
  
He would simply work a little harder on Chitsuko.  
  
After a few moments of leafing through the students' papers, Karasu looked up. "Miss Ichihara?"  
  
The room fell silent as Chitsuko, looking slightly pale, answered, "Y-yes, Mr. Bakudan?"  
  
Karasu straightened up to his full height and slid his hands into his pockets. "Would you be so kind as to stay after school today and help me with a few things?"  
  
At once the classroom was filled with the muted murmuring of its occupants. Chitsuko, unable to think straight and answer this question, looked over at Kurama for help. What could Karasu want her for?  
  
The redhead merely looked back at Chitsuko. She would have to decide for herself whether Karasu was friend or enemy. He could not influence her opinion.  
  
"I-I'll try..." Chitsuko squeaked feebly as she looked back at Karasu. She dropped her gaze at once when she saw her teacher smile.  
  
To everyone's relief, the bell rang, and there was a scramble to gather books and get out into the hallway. Chitsuko hung back by the door, waiting for Kurama, as he slid his notebook and pen into his bag and stood up. Almost immediately, Karasu was by the boy's side, whispering into his ear.  
  
"I'm not here to harm you. You don't need to be afraid..."  
  
"How can I be sure?" Kurama hissed back as he made his way to the doorway and slipped out into the conjested hallway with Chitsuko.  
  
The girl looked back over her shoulder once, and managed to catch the violet eye of her self-proclaimed guardian.   
  
* * * * *  
  
The hallway was empty now, just as it had been in all her dreams.  
  
Chitsuko stood in front of the door to the writing classroom, clutching her school bag tightly in front of her. By her side, Kurama put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"We don't have to go in there."  
  
"Yes we do. I know we do. I can feel it... somehow..." She turned to look at him. "That's why I brought you..."  
  
"I'm still unsure as to why we need to be here..."  
  
"Maybe he can help us."  
  
"Help us? He nearly cost me my life..."  
  
"But he told me he'd come to protect me if he had to when that powerful demon escaped from Hell."  
  
The redhead fell silent for a moment, his eyes transfixed on Chitsuko. "You never told me this."  
  
Chitsuko looked at her shoes. "I... didn't want to scare you. You get so scared around Karasu..."  
  
"I have reason to..." Kurama shook his head. "No matter. Let us get this over with..." And he reached out and slid the classroom door open.  
  
Karasu was leaning on the sill of the line of windows, staring out into the clear afternoon sky. He did not turn around right away, as though he had not heard them enter.  
  
"Karasu?"  
  
"Ah, Chitsuko..." Slowly, the ink-haired man turned to welcome the girl, then started as he laid eye son her companion. "Kurama! What a pleasant surprise..."  
  
"Don't try anything funny Karasu... It's a wonder you haven't blown us up yet."  
  
Karasu chuckled and made his way towards the desk in the front of the room. "Ah, but I can't..." He smiled wryly. "I've used most of my powers to create this body."  
  
Chitsuko's eyes widened. "You escaped from Hell, didn't you?"  
  
Karasu nodded.  
  
"What were you doing in Hell?  
  
"Burning in eternal hellfire and damnation. What else is there to do down there?" The crow shrugged as he perched himself on the edge of the desk. "But I have come to you two with information that the Reiki Tantei may find quite useful..."  
  
Kurama looked suspicious. "What information?"  
  
"Information on who might have broken the Gates open in the first place..."  
  
At once the two foxes were at attention. They cautiously made their way over to two desks in front of Karasu, their eyes never leaving Karasu's face out of fear and anxiety.  
  
"Did you see who broke them open?" Chitsuko sat herself cross-legged on one desk's surface, while Kurama chose to slid into the seat behind the other.  
  
Karasu shook his head, his long, sleek hair wavering gently. "No, I did not see anything. But I heard things that no one else in that infernal place did."  
  
"Like what?" The crow had Kurama's attention now, even if it was tentative.  
  
Karasu sighed and looked wearily at his two students. "One of Hell's residents was clearly not content with his fate. He spoke of breaking out of Hell and escaping to the living world, to Ningenkai, specifically. He believed that if he gathered enough spirit energy he could break open the Gates and come here to work his evil."  
  
"But.. if he was in Hell," Chitsuko said slowly, "...and dead to boot... then how where would he get all that spirit energy from?"  
  
"Simple," was the calm reply. "From other dead demons."  
  
"But... how?" Kurama inquired, leaning forward on the desk.  
  
A wry, sardonic smile curled Karasu's lips. "From other dead demons."  
  
"But how do you get spirit energy from dead demons? When you're dead, all that's left is your soul or spirit and then..." Chitsuko cut herself off with a gasp. Her hand flew to her mouth.  
  
"Yes, my dear Chitsuko-chan... It is exactly what you think it is." Karasu's smile faded immediately. "He absorbed the souls of the deceased demons around him. And how did he do that, you ask?" he added when Kurama opened his mouth to ask this very same question. "Once again, simple. He used his powers."  
  
"But where could a power so destructive as that come from?"  
  
"From it's owner... It's creator..." Karasu answered quietly.  
  
"You mean he created a technique for absorbing souls?" Kurama stood up and moved to stand next to Chitsuko. The way this conversation was going, he didn't want to be far from the girl in case something... less than desireable... happened.  
  
"Not absorb souls... Dissolve them."  
  
"Dissolve them?" the foxes asked in unison, quite loudly.  
  
Karasu nodded. "Yes. It is worse than absorbing, because if a soul is dissolved and not absorbed, then its energy and essence is lost completely and forever."  
  
All three demons shivered at the thought.  
  
"There's just one thing I don't understand..." Kurama took a step forward towards Karasu. "Why are you helping us?"  
  
Karasu never answered this question. The two of them locked eyes, Kurama sweating from the effort of holding the taller demon's gaze. Chitsuko could feel his struggling, feel the tiny bit of fear that had welled up inside of him as he stood face to face with his rival once more.  
  
Finally Karasu turned away and picked his breifcase up off his desk. "I suggest you two keep my confidence," he said softly without looking at them. "People in Hell tell stories of the theif Youko Kurama and infamous Hanyou Kohana..."  
  
"Me?" Chitsuko leapt to her feet and stared indignantly, almost disbelievingly, at Karasu. "Why would they tell stories about me? I haven't been around that long..."  
  
Karasu laughed, and Chitsuko nearly fainted at the sensual sound. "Oh, you are more well-known than you know... More than any of your friends know..." He turned around to face his students again, and he smiled once more, winking once in Chitsuko's direction. "Even though your story is still a mystery to everyone, your power is known throughout the realms."  
  
Chitsuko blushed a light pink and whined softly, "I don't understand it..."  
  
"None of us really do..." the fake substitute said with a shrug as he closed the distance between himself and the two foxes. He clapped a hand rather warmly on Kurama's shoulders. "You two be careful. And please, don't tell anyone about me. Of course, Reikai will be after my ass once they know I've escaped..." He chuckled slightly, then turned to Chitsuko.  
  
Much to Chitsuko's surprise, and Kurama's slight envy, Karasu bent down over her, brushing her golden bangs off of her face to plant a soft, feather-light kiss on the girl's forehead. Chitsuko let out a small noise between a squeak and a gasp. When the youkai pulled back, he noticed that her face was complete crimson.   
  
Still bent over, Karasu ran one slender digit down the girl's blushing face and said tenderly, "You have my protection."  
  
And with that he stood up and made his way to the classroom door. "The demon's name is Gouka. I don't have any proof that he is indeed the one who broke open the Gates..." Karasu turned to look at them one last time over his shoudler. "...But please...Watch your backs." Then he slid open the door and slipped out of sight.  
  
"But... Karasu!" Both Kurama and Chitsuko ran to the door and pushed it all the way open, running into the now empty hallway.  
  
Karasu was nowhere to be seen.  
  
The two exchanged a worried glance, and suddenly Chitsuko was in tears. Kurama gathered the whimpering, bleary-eyed girl in his arms and let her cry into his shoulder.  
  
"I just don't understand it... I just don't... This is all so strange... This... All of this..."  
  
"Shhh..." Kurama rubbed the girl's back comfortingly and closed his eyes. "Karasu's isn't the only protection you've got... Nor is it the strongest and most dedicated..." He smiled into her hair as the girl's sobs began to recede. "We are all in this together. And we won't give up this realm without a fight." 


	8. Chapter 7 The Date From Hell

Chapter 7: The Date from Hell  
  
The two weeks were up.   
  
She was in the bathroom, putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup. Staring wistfully into the mirror, she took in an excited, shaky breath.  
  
This was it.  
  
He was in the entrance hall, glancing nervously at his watch every few seconds. She was taking such a long time to get ready! What could she possibly be doing up there...?  
  
"Why am I so nervous?" Kurama shook his head and tugged at his tan suede coat. He looked down at himself: a comfortable crimson t-shirt under his jacket, and a pair of khaki pants recently bought by his mother. The youko wasn't sure if she was dressing up as well, and wondered if he was a bit overdressed for the occasion...  
  
"Kurama-kun?"  
  
The sound of her timid voice brought him to the foot of the stairs, where his breath caught in his throat.  
  
Chitsuko was standing several steps above the landing, her hands clasped anxiously in front of her. She had donned a long-sleeved white button-down with a collarless deep blue vest over it. Both garments were buttoned up to just above her bust line, where the open folds revealed nothing but soft shadows underneath the garments. The girl had slipped on a short pleated skirt the same color as the vest and black high-heeled shoes. A tiny silver star hung from a silver chain around her neck and her hair was parted off the side, a few slender strands hanging in her glittering eyes.  
  
She smiled at him with pink gloss-covered lips. "Ready?"  
  
"Yes..." Kurama nodded and extended his hand to her. It was the first time he had seen her wear any form of makeup or change her hairstyle. It was a bit of shock to the redhead, but his apprehension immediately melted when he realized that she had done all of this for him.  
  
Chitsuko descended the steps and took his outstretched hand. He lead her to the door, and the two slipped out into the warm spring night.  
  
An awkward silence hovered around them as they made their way downtown. Chitsuko kept glancing sideways at Kurama, who's gaze seemed to be riveted to her. She blushed slightly, pretending not to notice, and focused on the buildings ahead of them.  
  
Shops and restaurants lined the streets, lit by the glow of street lamps and blinking signs. The girl eyed them all with wonder. In all her seven months of living in this town, she had yet to venture into this part of it. She waved to a few people she knew from school, a few of which winked at her when they laid eyes on Kurama.  
  
Much to the foxes' relief, neither Shigo nor Mayaka could be seen anywhere.  
  
"Ah, here we are..." Kurama pointed to a cafe, the sidewalk in front of it riddled with tables, chairs, and small groups of people talking amongst themselves. The redhead led Chitsuko inside, where they found a booth near one of the storefront windows. He slid into the booth opposite Chitsuko, who was surveying the place with a small smile.  
  
"This is comfortable..." Chitsuko inhaled deeply. "And it smells wonderful."  
  
"Yes," Kurama nodded. "I came here once with Yusuke and Kuwabara. I haven't wanted to come here again for quite a while, but I needed an excuse." He smiled at Chitsuko, his emerald eyes twinkling.  
  
The girl giggled and let her eyes wander out the window to the crowd outside.  
  
Close to their window, a boy with short, shaggy black hair was talking across a table to a man with orange curls. Both of them wore dark black sunglasses over their eyes. Between them sat a woman, completely hidden by her menu. The black-haired boy suddenly opened his mouth wide to yell at his companion, and for a breif instant Chitsuko caught a glimpse of the woman behind the menu as she reached over to slap him. Her hair was a startling light blue and was pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head. She too wore sunglasses. For a brief instant she looked straight at Chitsuko, a look of slight surprise on her face.  
  
If they three of them noticed Chitsuko staring at them, they didn't show it. All at once, they were behind their menus, hunched over the table and seemingly murmuring to each other.  
  
"That's odd..." Chitsuko murmured to herself as she turned back to Kurama. Resting her arms on the table, she sighed happily and looked at her companion.  
  
"How's the demon hunt going?" she asked.  
  
"Not too good..." Kurama shook his head. "We're finding a few here and then, but we have yet to find any major groups... or this Gouka that Karasu told us about."  
  
Chitsuko sighed again, this time forlornly. "How can the world keep going on like this when Hell has been unleashed upon it? Everyone is so blissfully unaware..." She looked longingly at the couples within the cafe who were enjoying each other's company rather than fretting about the fate of the universe. "But I know it's out duty... We can't back out now..."  
  
"I understand how you feel, Chit-chan. Sometimes it feels like it's just too much to handle..."  
  
"It's so confusing, so dangerous..."  
  
"...So unfair..."  
  
Chitsuko turned to meet Kurama's intense stare. She felt a slight blush rise up in her cheeks. "What?"  
  
"It's unfair. To all of us..." His voice became softer with every word. "Especially to you..."  
  
"What do you mean... Kurama-kun?"  
  
"I mean that you had no choice in your fate," he leaned in towards the table, prompting Chitsuko to do so as well. "You didn't know who you were, you had no idea you had this power... You were safe and happy with Kenji, living simply as Chitsuko Ichihara..."  
  
"But I'm not just Chitsuko Ichihara," she murmured back. "I am Hanyou Kohana." She smiled slightly. "This has always been, and I have to except my fate..."  
  
"But..."  
  
"No, don't give me sympathy. I don't need it. I'm here for a reason..."   
  
Kurama sat up straight, his gaze fixed on Chitsuko. For a long moment he merely looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face.  
  
And then he smiled. "You're right, Chit-chan. Let's order something to drink, shall we?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
From outside, Yusuke, Botan, and Kuwabara watched as Chitsuko and Kurama laughed and talked over coffee. Ever so often the two foxes would lean in towards each other for a brief moment, and Kuwabara would snicker.   
  
After an hour or so of this behavior, Botan let out an exasperated sigh and threw down her menu. "Aren't those two going to do ANYTHING?"  
  
"What exactly do you have in mind, Botan?" Yusuke asked, one eyebrow raised.  
  
"Well... you know!" Botan made a kissy face and imitated the noise.  
  
Kuwabara sighed as well. "The two of them have been dancing around each other ever since they met. When are they going to realize that they're in love?"  
  
"I don't know..." Yusuke answered as he glanced back through the cafe window, where Kurama and Chitsuko were now laughing about something. "But they better pull it together soon or something might break them apart..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"What are they doing now?"  
  
Mayaka leaned sideways in her booth, straining to catch a glimpse of Kurama and Chitsuko near the front of the store. She scowled when he saw them laughing, then straightened up and took a long, angry slurp of her coffee. "What does he see in here? Hm?"  
  
"Wha? Were you talking?" Shigo, sitting across from her, started in his seat. He had been staring at the table for the entire evening, his mind wandering to his mission...  
  
The mission...  
  
Shigo groaned and ran his fingers through his white-blonde hair. He hadn't planned on the infamous theif Youko Kurama creating a barrier between him and prey. Sure, he had expected the Reiki Tantei to take up the case as soon as the Gates had been penetrated, but the sudden arrival of Hanyou Kohana into the picture made everything more complicated.  
  
His first priority was to get the Reiki Tantei out of the way.   
  
His second priority was to get Hanyou Kohana away from Youko Kurama. Hanyou Kohana's legendary power was known throughout the realms. It was equal to that of Youko's and contained the spirit energy of both mortals and demons, a deadly combination. If he could lure Kohana to him, he could harness that power for himself. And with the girl sitting in the booth across from him, he was almost sure the stunt could be pulled off.  
  
And once Kurama was out of the way, the Reiki Taneti would go down with him, followed shortly by the great King Enma himself.  
  
Shigo sniggered loudly. Being evil was so much fun.  
  
"What's so funny, pretty boy?" Mayaka was glaring daggers at him from over her coffee cup.  
  
"Oh, nothing, just nothing..." He cleared his throat then sat up straight. "When are you going to get Shuichi?"  
  
Mayaka raised an eyebrow. "What do you care?"  
  
Damn, he couldn't slip up like this, or she would catch on!  
  
"Eh... Dunno."  
  
The black-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Men..."  
  
The two watched as the redhead excused himself to use the bathroom, leaving Chitsuko alone at the table, staring blankly at her coffee and stirring it absentmindedly.  
  
"Now's your chance, go!" Shigo waved Mayaka out of the booth.  
  
"What do I do?" she hissed as she stood up to leave.  
  
"Remember what I showed you; just force your energy on him!"  
  
Mayaka nodded, then slyly and stealthily followed Kurama into the hallway where the bathrooms were.  
  
As Mayaka left, Shigo turned to look down at the aisle of booths as Chitsuko once more. It would be a bad move to approach her now. She would surely run after Kurama for help, and he didn't want to make a scene in this little ningen cafe. He needed to be more cautious with his plans from now on...  
  
He laughed again and took a long drink from his own cup of coffee. The demons in Hell would ridicule him if they knew that for the first time in his life... and afterlife... the hellish and merciless Gouka was being cautious.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Kurama smiled to himself as he made his way down the narrowly hallway to the men's room. He was pleased with the way this date was turning out. And if all went well, maybe they go home tonight a little closer...  
  
Someone grabbed his shoulder and pushed him against the wall. Kurama turned to retaliate, but stopped when he saw Mayaka Kawaii standing in front of him.  
  
"Mayaka, what are you..."  
  
He didn't get a chance to finish his question. Threads of lime-green light, were escaping Mayaka's hands, twining themselves around Kurama's body. He opened his mouth to speak again, but they slithered into his mind, attempting to stop his reactions.  
  
He took a deep breath and again opened his mouth as Mayaka began to close the distance between them. "Mayaka, what are you doing?"  
  
"Shuichi..." she moaned softly, running her slim fingers through his long, blood-red tresses. "Shuichi..."  
  
Kurama lifted his arms to push her away and was shocked to find that he could hardly move them. "What did you.. How are you?"  
  
"Shhh..." Mayaka pressed a finger to his lips and leaned closer to him. "Your heart is mine..."  
  
At once he realized that nature of this attack. With all his might, he summoned up his spirit energy and cut the threads that bound him to Mayaka's will. With a gasp Mayaka stumbled back as though stunned, blinking rapidly as she stared at Shuichi. "You... Broke them..."  
  
"My heart is not yours to take, Mayaka..." Kurama said calmly as he straightened up once more. He ignored her questioning of his own secret power. "It..." He took a small breath and forced the truth out of his mouth. "My heart belongs to Chitsuko..."  
  
Mayaka took a step back, her eyes wide with shock and fear. He had broken her threads of spirit energy easily, and now she felt dizzy with the effort of forcing them on him. She pressed a hand to her forehead as she looked up at him, defeated.  
  
"...And it always will..."  
  
Mayaka, dumbstruck and unable to reply, turning on her heel and quickly ran down the hallway and out of the cafe. Kurama stared after her, his mind buzzing with new questions and worries.  
  
"How did she manage to acquire that power?" he murmured to himself as he walked back to his booth and the girl he left there.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko, who stirring her coffee boredly, jumped slightly when three men slid into the booth across from her.  
  
"Hey Foxy," one of them said with a sly grin plastered on his face. "How you doin'?"  
  
Chitsuko blinked. "'Foxy'?"  
  
"Yeah, dat's what you are, isn' it?" said the one in the middle. He ran his fingers through his matted brown hair and grinned as well.  
  
The third one, rather large and plummed, just smiled at her stupidly.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked nervously, her hands tightening around her mug.  
  
"We think you should step outside with us for a little while..." said the first one, the leader. "We'd like a word with you... Hanyou Kohana..." His eyes glittered madly, fixed on Chitsuko as she squirmed farther and farther into the booth in an attempt to escape his gaze...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Meanwhile, outside, Kuwabara tore of his sunglass and slapped down his menu. "You guys! Look!"  
  
Botan and Yusuke removed their glasses as well, their gaze followed Kuwabara's. They saw Chitsuko, sitting in her booth, with Kurama nowhere in sight and three ugly looking older men seated across from her. The girl was visibly uncomfortable.  
  
"Who are those guys?" Yusuke asked as he shifted in his seat.  
  
"They're demons! I can sense their spirit energy!" Kuwabara shrieked, attracting the stares of several people around them. "Dead demons!"  
  
"Damnit!" The Spirit Detective was on his feet and through the door before another word could be said, Botan and Kuwabara at his heels. He darted down the aisle and came to stop right in front of the table where Chitsuko and the disguised demons, flanked by his companions.  
  
"So..." he said, causing the three demons sitting in the booth to jump, their eyes wideneing at they came to rest on Yusuke. "You like picking on little girls, huh?"  
  
"Yusuke, I'm not a little girl..." Chitsuko growled, sliding out of the booth and getting to her feet.  
  
Yusuke shrugged apologetically, then turned back to the demons. "I think it's you who should be coming with us..."  
  
Without warning, the fat demon picked up Kurama's abandoned coffee cup and hurled it at Yusuke. The boy ducked, the mug hitting Kuwabara in the shoulder and shattering at it fell to the floor.  
  
The demons took advantage of this distraction. The one who had demanded Chitsuko go with them grabbed the girl around the waist and slung her over his shoulder, dashing outside with her into the starry night. Chitsuko screamed, beating his back with his fists and kicking her legs until they ached, the sounds of the boys fighting the other demons in the cafe growing softer and softer as he carried her father away from the light of the stops.   
  
He darted into a dark alley, overgrown with weeds and small shrubs, cackling maniacally.  
  
"And you didn't even get to say good-bye to your friends..." he hissed softly in her ear as he continued to run.  
  
Chitsuko reached back into her hair and pulled out one of the shimakneki seeds that Kurama had given her. She slammed it into her captor's back, where it immediately burrowed itself under the skin. Without a moment's hesitation, the girl took a deep breath and cried, "DIE!"  
  
At once he let go of her, the tendrils of the Death Plant bursting forth from his body and crawling towards the sky. Chitsuko stumbled, then braced herself again one of the alley walls as she watching the body of the demon who had kidnapped her disappear under a mound of indigo flowers.  
  
A slight wind picked up, and a shadowy cloud rose from the clump of vines and flowers like a ghost. It lurched and sped towards Chitsuko, ghostly arms reaching out from it to grasp Chitsuko...  
  
"I found the last one!"  
  
At all once, the cloudy figure was pulled from her body and pulled towards the mouth of the alley. Chitsuko spun around just in time to see Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan, Kurama, and Hiei standing there. Yusuke was holding aloft a small orb that glowed a soft green. The cloud, the demon's soul, was sucked into the orb like it was vacuum cleaner, and its light pulsed once before dimming considerably.  
  
Yusuke tossed the ball in the air once before sliding it into his pocket. "The Orb of Baast. Never leave home without it."  
  
"Chitsuko, are you alright?" Botan asked as the girl ran forward to her friends, still panting from the fear and intensity of her brief captivity.  
  
"Yes... I'm fine..." The girl smiled weakly, leaning gratefully on Hiei for support.  
  
Kurama turned to Yusuke, Botan, and Kuwabara, a serious look on his face. "Were you two spying on us?"  
  
All three face faulted.  
  
"SPYING?" Botan burst out, letting rip a laugh that was genuinely false. "Why would we be spying on you two? We didn't even know you were there!"  
  
"Come now, Botan," Hiei said calmly, his eyes fixed on the ferrygirl. "You knew perfectly well they were there..."  
  
Botan looked from the serious Kurama, to the malicious-looking Hiei, to the bewildered and shocked Chitsuko.  
  
"Alright, alright, we were... spying..." Botan sighed. "I just couldn't resist!"  
  
"And I can't believe you two would tag along," Hiei said, glaring at Yusuke and Kuwabara.  
  
"Hey, it's a good thing we came! Look what happened!" Yusuke said, folding his arms over his chest with a smirk. "You should be thanking us."  
  
"Besides, how did you get there so fast when the demons attack, huh, Hiei?"  
  
Hiei's ruby-red eyes bore into Kuwabara for one long, terrifyingly silent moment, before the youkai disappeared into the night.  
  
Kurama put an arm around Chitsuko, who stumbled as Hiei departed so quickly. "It doesn't matter now. It's late, we should all go home."  
  
They all nodded and say their good-byes as Yusuke, Botan, and Kuwabara headed for Keiko's to tell her about what happened, while Kurama and Chitsuko headed for home.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Well that sure was an interesting date, wasn't it?" Kurama asked as he locked the front door behind him and Chitsuko.  
  
"Yeah... Complete with its very own demons from hell." Chitsuko sighed and ascended the stairs, making the way down her hallway to her room.  
  
"Chitsuko-chan?"  
  
Chitsuko paused with her hand on the doorknob and looked around. Kurama had followed her upstairs. The two now stood in the calm darkness of the hallway. The silence of the empty house was deafening as Kurama approached her.  
  
"I know this evening left a lot to be desired, but..."  
  
Chitsuko felt him press something smooth and delicate into her hand. She squinted to look at it, and gasped lightly as she realized she was holding a single, snow-white rose in full bloom.  
  
"Kurama..."  
  
She was pulled into a warm, tight hug before she could say more. Chitsuko cradled the rose close to her chest to prevent it from being crushed. Kurama leaned down with a smile to whisper in her ear.  
  
"Let's do it again sometime soon..."  
  
"Alright..."  
  
Kurama pulled back and kissed her swiftly on the cheek. "Good-night, Chit-chan."  
  
"Good-night Kurama."  
  
The two retreated to their separate rooms and settled themselves down to a long, sleepless night.  
  
She put the rose in a vase full of water next to her bed. Sighing, she closed her eyes and thought about the next time they could be alone together... And this time she would make sure that they were the only ones who knew about it.  
  
He sat up all night thinking about the feeling he gave her. In all his one thousand years of existence, he had never felt this was before, much less about any one person.  
  
It was definitely love. 


	9. Chapter 8 Wind and Ice

Chapter 8: Wind and Ice  
  
"But Koenma-sama, are you postitive that this won't do more damage?" Botan wrung her hands nervously, glancing ever so often at the door to Koenma's office in Reikai. It was slightly ajar, and she prayed that the people standing outside could not hear their current conversation.  
  
Koenma, in his toddler form, sighed and sank back into his chair. "I have no other choice Botan. How else can I get them all under control by the time Father gets home? We can't have all these demons running around Ningenkai for eternity! Especially the dangerous ones!"  
  
"But by doing this you'll be sending MORE demons to run rampant in Ningenkai!" she hissed through her teeth before her oar appeared in her hands. "Yusuke will hate this..."  
  
"On the contrary, I think Yusuke will be quite cooperative," Koenma said, a small smile on his face. "I'm sending someone along with you who Yusuke is sure to get along with just fine."  
  
Botan's sour expression dropped away. "You mean...?"  
  
Koenma nodded. "I believe everything will be fine. Just try to keep Chitsuko cool about it. She's the only one who doesn't know about them and it may take her a little time to get used to them."  
  
"Right..." Botan bowed in respect, then hurried out the door. Koenma heard her shout to the group of strange people clumped outside the door, "Well, come on! You two are coming with me. And you, do try not to poke me with that dreadful horn of yours... Thank you..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
At lunch time, Chitsuko crept away from the clusters of chattering students to sit in solitude under a tree in the school yard. She glanced around anxiously, waiting for Kurama. He had promised to meet her there so they could discuss a strategy for demon hunting. They weren't very far, and they had no leads as to where the demon Karasu spoke of, Gouka, might be.  
  
They were also planning on discussing their newest problems: Shigo and Mayaka. Both of them had made it known that they possessed some sort of power relating to their spirit energy. And to make things more confusing, the effects of their attacks were similar; both worked to control the mind and body of their victim, and tune it to their will.  
  
But the question was: Where did they get such power?  
  
They had dicussed the topic with Hiei earlier. The little fire demon had suggested that the two students were possessed by the renegade souls of the demons they were hunting, since they both knew Chitsuko's true identity as Hanyou Kohana. But then why did they both possess the same type of coercive power?  
  
With a sigh Chitsuko pulled herself to her feet and began to wander around the side of the building. Her head was beginning to hurt from thinking so hard and so much. It felt as though a knife were jammed into her skull right between her eyes.  
  
"It must hurt very badly."  
  
Chitsuko, jarred from her dreamy state, spun around as she heard her substitute teacher's voice. Karasu was leaning on the side of the school building, one hand buried in his pocket. He was regarding her with a kind of mischievious satisfaction, as though he had something planned for her that she had no clue about.  
  
"What must hurt?"  
  
"Your head." He remained against the wall, his eyes trained on Chitsuko's face. Tiny beads of sweat rolled down the girl's temples as she stared back, attempting to hide how nervous his gaze made her. "You are thinking too hard..."  
  
"You read my mind..." she retorted, placing her hands on her hips and shifting all her weight onto her right leg. Growing bold, she asked, "Shouldn't you be in the teachers' lounge or something?"  
  
Karasu laughed softly and pushed off the wall, sauntering towards her as his eyes grazed the cloudy sky. "Why should I? Humans are so mundane, so boring. I find this entire affair exhausting." He drifted out of Chitsuko's view, his voice coming from somewhere behind her. "It is you and Kurama that keep me entertained..."  
  
His pale, slender hands were on her neck, sliding up to tangle themselves in her long golden hair. She suddenly froze, a mute kind of fear spreading through her veins at his touch.  
  
"You remind me of him... Intelligent, clever... beautiful... I have yet to see you fight." The girl's entire body was as rigid as a board as Karasu placed two of his fingers on each of her temples and began to massage them gently as he leaned in, resting his chin affectionately on top of her head. "I should like to see you fight one day... or perhaps, be the one to fight you..."  
  
Karasu finally recoiled his hands. Chitsuko whirled around to face him and took a step back. He did not seem phased by her sudden withdraw from him, but had a dangerously soft smile on his face.  
  
"I trust your demon hunt is going well?"  
  
Chitsuko did not answer. She stood still, her stormy blue-gray eyes locked onto Karasu. A gentle breeze picked up her hair and short skirt, ruffling them in the wind.  
  
Karasu backed away from her slowly, looking at her as though he were admiring her. "I like you, Kohana."  
  
Chitsuko flinched and took another step backwards. It was the first time he had openly addressed her using her demon name.  
  
Without another word, Karasu turned and strode away back into the school, his hands hidden inside his pockets once more.  
  
For many minutes Chitsuko stood still, exactly where he had left her, unable to speak or move. She could do nothing as her mind whirled frantically as question after question surfaced. What was going on? What did Karasu really mean by what he just said?  
  
Was Karasu someone to fear as well?  
  
* * * * *  
  
Kurama, Chitsuko, and Hiei walked home in their usual silence. It was early; they had chosen to go straight home after school rather than hang around and chance another meeting with Karasu. He had asked Chitsuko and Kurama to stay after again to "help him with some work," but they had declined, claiming that they had to help Kurama's mother with some chores around the house. Whether Karasu knew Shiori Minamino was away or not, they couldn't tell by the blank look on his face when he nodded in what appeared to be understanding.  
  
Chitsuko hadn't told Kurama or Hiei about her encounter with the bomb-happy crow during her lunch break. His sulty voice still echoed in her mind...  
  
"I like you, Kohana."  
  
Chitsuko's cheeks were tinted pink as she shook her head to erase the thought from her mind. What he meant by "I like you" was still unclear to the girl, and she honestly didn't think she wanted to know.  
  
More and more she was beginning to see why Kurama feared him so much; the anxious feeling she got when he was around, the way her body reacted to his touch, the way he could have complete control over her if he wanted...  
  
For a brief instant Chitsuko saw a corellation between Karasu, Shigo and Mayaka... All three of them seemed to be able to perform a variation of mind control or puppetry; they could either stun their victim into submission, or worm their way into their victim's mind and control it. Karasu's, however, seemed to be of the weaker sort; he used mind games to confuse his victim until they could do nothing but surrender.  
  
It seemed that Chitsuko already had.  
  
The girl sighed, causing both Hiei and Kurama to look at her.  
  
"Is something wrong, Chitsuko-chan?" Kurama asked with concern.  
  
"No, nothing," the girl responded.  
  
"Hn. You always say that," Hiei grunted, absentmindedly fingering the hilt of his katana. "You're such a lier, kokitsune..."  
  
"Hiei!" Chitsuko playfully elbowed Hiei in the side. The youkai didn't even flinch.  
  
"Don't hit me," he said in a low voice as he continued to walk.  
  
"Hm." Chitsuko, disappointed that Hiei had killed her suddenly good mood, sighed again and focused her eyes on a particularly fluffy cloud overhead.   
  
Loud, running footsteps sounded suddenly behind them. The three demons turned just as three ugly looking men pounced on them, their yellow teeth barred. The trio lept nimbly aside as the men darted around the corner and into the city park, their arms still extended from their attempt to grab at the Reiki Tantei members.  
  
Kurama's eyes narrowed. "Renegade demon souls, no doubt..."  
  
Hiei and Chitsuko nodded, and the three of them raced onward into the park at the heels of the demons. At once, Hiei's katana was out, the youkai raising it above his head as he prepared to strike.  
  
"Hiei, no!" Kurama held an arm in front of him to stop him. "That will only destroy his body and allow his soul to run free again!"  
  
Hiei yelled in frustration and jammed his katana back into his sheath. "They how the hell ar we supposed to defeat them?"  
  
"Maybe..." Kurama's eyes went out of focus as he gazed ahead of him at the demons they were persuing. "Koenma said that there was a way to dissolve their souls using spirit energy..."  
  
Hiei stared blankly at Kurama, then smiled wryly. "Are you sure you'll willing to risk your energy on a point-blank attack?." He chuckled. "That's not like you, kitsune..."  
  
Before Kurama could say any more, a pale figure darted out of the trees ahead of them. Despite the warm weather, the boy was wearing a pair of baggy navy blue pants and a white long-sleeved shirt. His hair was a strange icy blue, and several strands sea-green in color stuck out over his forehead. His eye color was indiscernible from where Chitsuko was.  
  
At once Hiei and Kurama stopped in their tracks, staring at the figure as though it had two heads. As Kurama stood rooted to the spot out of surprise, Hiei yelled, "What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
The boy, smiling slightly, shouted back, "Hell is what brought me here in the first place!" The blue-haired boy stopped running when he was directing in front of the demons. At once the three rouges skidded to a halt and began to back away from him, their eyes wide.  
  
"I didn't know the Shinobi patrolled Ningenkai too!" one of the renegade demons shouted with dismay.  
  
"We don't. I'm here on special orders," the boy said, bracing his arms as though he were going to flex his muscles. He shouted over the heads of the demons, seemingly at Kurama, Chitsuko, and Hiei.  
  
"This is going to get dangerous and ugly. Get the girl out of here!"  
  
"Right!"  
  
Before Chitsuko could yell angrily at the boy for demanding her removal from the fight, two muscled arms slid around her waist and took hold of her tightly. She felt herself beind lifted off the ground several inches... now several feet... and now...  
  
Chitsuko couldn't find her breath to scream as she realized she was floating high up into the air, courtesy of the person who was holding her.  
  
No, not floating. Flying.  
  
Her and her captor were soaring high above the park, her friends, the mysterious boy, and the demons looking like tiny figures below. She gasped as she watched bright, ice blue light gush forth from the blue-haired boy's fingertips.  
  
"Amazin', isn't it?"  
  
Chitsuko turned to look at her captor as he spoke, being careful not to make him drop her.  
  
His eyes were the widest and bluest she had ever seen. His hair was a bright, fire-engine red and stuck out haphazardly from under a white fedora that looked odd with the rest of his outfit; he was clothed in a simple red t-shirt, faded jeans with rips in the knees, and a pair of white sneakers.  
  
The girl's eyebrows shot upwards. The cool wind rushed around them, causing her to shiver slightly. She opened her mouth to speak, hesitated for a moment, then shut it again. She did this several times before the blue-eyed boy laughed.  
  
"Sorry 'bout grabbing ya like that..." he said sheepishly. Chitsuko noticed that the boy was snaggle-toothed. "Didn't know any other way of gettin' ya out of there fast enough..."  
  
Baffled by this newcomer, Chitsuko turned to look back down at the park. The light from the mysterious boy's hands, which was in fact his spirit energy, had surrounded the three demons and froze them. The boys hands were extended towards the rouges, energy still pumping rapidly from his palms and into the demons. With a sudden burst of light and spirit energy, the three demons exploded, their bodies leaving behind no trace of their existence. As the girl looked on, she noticed that no whispy clouds, no souls, floated away from the battle scene.  
  
"What... What happened to their souls?" she asked herself aloud.  
  
Her captor took it upon himself to answer. "Dissolved their souls, he did. Ah, Touya, bless his heart... Worked hard to get that power, he did..."  
  
"'Touya'?" Chitsuko glanced back at the blue-eyed boy as he began to descend, still grasping her tightly.  
  
"Oh! I'm so rude..." He grinned at her again. "The name's Jin, the Wind Master some call me. I'm from over in Makai. Nice little place, when it wants to be... And you are?"  
  
"Ch-Chitsuko Ichihara. Err... Some call me Hanyou Kohana," she smiled slightly.  
  
"Naw..." Jin's eyes grew wide. "Not THE Hanyou Kohana? The one ol' Binky Boy was talkin' about?"  
  
"'Binky Boy'?"  
  
"Oh, you know... King Enma's son, the little Koenma fellow."  
  
"He talks about me?"  
  
"Well... He's told the Shinobi about you."  
  
"What are the Shinobi?"  
  
"We're a tribe of demons that go 'round Makai and restore order among the people. Not a very fun job, but someone's got to do it..." Jin sighed.  
  
The ground drew closer, and finally Jin set Chitsuko down on her feet and floated down beside her. At once, Kurama, Hiei, and the boy called Touya came over to greet them.  
  
"Ah, Jin!" The two redheads shook hands warmly. "So nice to see you again..."  
  
"Same to you, Fox Boy!" Jin replied, still grinning heartily.  
  
Hiei nodded a greeting, but otherwise remained silent.  
  
"So, what brings you two to Ningenkai?" Kurama asked.  
  
"Koenma sent us," Touya answered, folding his arms over his chest. Chitsuko could now see his face clearly, and noticed that his eyes were the lightest shade of blue and pupiless. Chitsuko found them beautifully strange, and became distracted by them as he began to talk. "He came to the Shinobi and told us the famous Reiki Tantei was having a little trouble rounding up all the demonic souls that escaped from Hell. The Gates have been repaired by Lord Enma's onis, and we have gotten permission to destroy any that we seem fit not to be sent back."  
  
"Hn. We don't need any help." Hiei looked away from the group.  
  
Both Touya and Jin laughed as Kurama and Chitsuko sweatdropped at their friend's behavior. At last Touya turned to Chitsuko and asked, "Who is this?"  
  
"Touya! This is the lass Koenma was talkin' about!" He leaned in towards his friend. "Hanyou Kohana!" Much to Chitsuko's embarassment, Jin put emphasis on the name.  
  
Touya's pupiless eyes remainded unchanging as he took a step closer to the girl to examine her. He looked her over several times, before saying softly, "So this is her..."  
  
"Please, just call me Chitsuko," the girl said quickly as she felt a blush rising in her cheeks. "Really, please..."  
  
"Alrigh' then, Chitsuko!" Jin said merrily. "Say, what's Urameshi up to? I can't wait to see the look on his face when I show up..." The demon mischieviously.  
  
"We were just heading over to see them right now," Kurama said. "Please, won't you accompany us?"  
  
"Of coure." Touya nodded, and the five of them set out of the park and towards Yusuke's apartment.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"JIN, YOU CRAZY BASTARD!"  
  
Yusuke and Jin were all over each other the minute the Spirit Detective opened the door. They playfully punched each other, laughing and screaming as they made their way into the apartment. Hiei, Chitsuko, Kurama, and Touya followed, eyeing the two of them with nervous embarassment.  
  
"Oh, don't mind him..." Touya nodded at Jin. "He's been so bored lately. He was a little overly-happy to get this job. But then again, I don't blame him." He smiled at Chitsuko as he caught her eye. Chitsuko smiled back, beginning to feel a bit more comfortable around these two new demons.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So the Gates have been repaired?" Yusuke asked.  
  
The boys were seated on the floor of Yusuke's bedroom, while Chitsuko was perched on the edge of Yusuke's desk.  
  
Touya nodded. "Fairly quickly. Koenma is so worked up about this whole ordeal he has every oni in Reikai on their toes."  
  
"Poor guy..." Jin took off his fedora and scratched the back of his head.  
  
Chitsuko made a noise in her throat and pointed at Jin's head. "Wha...What's that?"  
  
"Oh, this?" Jin reached up to stroke the small, ivory horn poking through his tangle of hair. "It's a horn."  
  
"I know that..." Chitsuko sighed, scratching her own head and staring at Jin's horn. She found it would be better if she didn't ask, so she remained silent.  
  
"There are Shinobi tribes placed all throughout Ningenkai," Touya continued. "We have been assigned to this city, much to our pleasure..." He smiled. "Koenma thought that since the Shinobi were natural hunters they would serve well in ridding the Human World of these undead creeps."  
  
"Oh, yeah!" Jin slapped his forehead and addressed the group. "Urameshi, tell the rest of your little friends that they need to be in Reikai first thing tomorrow morning. Koenma wants to talk to all of you."  
  
"Alright..." Yusuke blinked, staring at the floor. "I wonder what he wants now?"  
  
The group fell into a thoughtful silence, and Chitsuko remained staring at Jin's horn. 


	10. Chapter 9 Reikai

NOTE: For all of you who read Chapter 8 before I took it down again, please go read it again. The nasty Document Manager beast kept eating the second half of the chapter when I attempted to upload. x.x Arigatou, minna-san!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 9: Reikai  
  
"Alright Koenma, what do you want now?" Yusuke reached into his pocket and popped a piece of bubblegum into his mouth. "I hope this is important, I didn't tell Keiko where I was going so she wouldn't worry," the Spirit Detective said between chews. He blew a large bubble, then inhaled it and popped it loudly with his tongue.  
  
Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, Kurama, and Chitsuko were grouped around Koenma's desk. Behind the tiny toddler's chair stood the usual blue oni that was Koenma's cheif servant. He looked nervously around the group, and every so often his wary eye settled on Chitsuko before flitting off to stare at another Reiki Tantei member.  
  
"I assure you, this is very important..." Koenma nodded, opening a manilla file folder that sat before him on his desk.  
  
"It seems that Jin and Touya have gathered enough clues from their demon captives to point out a possible suspect for breaking open the Gates. This is the information we have discovered on him." He held up the contents of the file: a single piece of ancient-looking ricepaper, small and barely written on.  
  
The entire Reiki Tantei sweatdropped, goggling at the small paper in the toddler's hands.  
  
"That's IT?" Kuwabara slammed his fist down on the table. "How can we find this guy with that much information?" He pointed offendedly at the aged document.  
  
The Reiki ruler sighed. "I know, but we have to make do. This case is going to require more brain power than spiritual power on your parts, as of now." He raised his eyes from the ricepaper to look at the five of them. "Kurama and Chitsuko, I'm counting on you."  
  
Kuwabara and Yusuke fell over while Hiei looked sourly at Koenma.  
  
"Anyway, as I was saying..." Koenma cleared his throat and read from the ancient sheet of paper in front of him:  
  
"'Name: Gouka.'"  
  
Immediately, Chitsuko's hand shot out from her side to grasp Kurama's. The older fox took and it and squeezed it urgently. Chitsuko bit her lip to keep from gasping, or screaming. Kurama focued on the paper in Koenma's hands, pretending to be intently interested in its appearance.  
  
Karasu had been right.  
  
Koenma continued to read, taking no notice of Kurama and Chitsuko's odd behavior. "'Age: Unknown.'" At this point the toddler look up from the paper. "That would explain the condition of this file." He bent over the paper once more and read, "'Sex and Race: Male demon. Origin: Makai. In life, Gouka attempted to rally demonic forces against Reikai in hopes to overthrow King Enma and take up rule himself. He hunted down every powerful demon, and human, to his knowledge and killed them, taking their spirit energy for himself. He thrives off dead spirit energy, and was known for his ability to control souls."  
  
A minute of silence passed before Hiei spoke up. "That's it?"  
  
"Afraid so..." Koenma replaced the paper and closed the file, bowing his head in thought.  
  
"But.. what's 'dead spirit energy'?" Chitsuko asked, finally letting go of Kurama's hand.  
  
"Dead spirit energy," Kurama stated, "is spirit energy that belongs to a dead individual. It is not as powerful or effective as spirit energy of a living being, but when collected over a vast amount of time can prove quite dangerous..."  
  
"Damn." Yusuke blew another bubble and popped it with his tongue. "How the hell can we beat this guy?"  
  
"While you're thinking about that," Koenma advised, "I suggest you work on finding him first. You, with the help of the Shinobi, have been able to round up nearly every renegade demon in this world, with the exception of two."  
  
"Only two?" Kuwabara asked.  
  
Koenma nodded. "One, being Gouka, of course. And the other..." He nodded to the video screen behind them. "You may remember this character from the Ankoku Bujutsukkai, if I recall correctly..."  
  
The Reiki Tantei turned to face the video screen. A tall, lithe man with long black hair wearing what appeared to be a surgeon's mask stared back at them with piercing ameythst eyes.  
  
"HOLY CRAP, IT'S HIM!" Kuwabara yelled as he pointed at the screen, spit flying in every direction from his open mouth.  
  
Hiei surveyed the screen quietly, unflinching. "Karasu."  
  
"How could he escape the Shinobi?" Yusuke asked, turning back to Koenma. "I don't understand it, he's certainly not the most powerful demon that ever lived..."  
  
"Yes, but he may have gotten stronger during his stay in Hell..." Koenma replied, clasping his hands and settling them in his lap as he leaned back in his chair. "Him, like Gouka, may have been preying on the spirit energy of dead demonic souls."  
  
"Ouch..." Yusuke turned back to the video screen, then suddenly blanched. "Oh, God... Kurama, you must be... Look, we'll find him soon... okay Kurama? ...Kurama? Chitsuko?"  
  
Everyone in the room turned to look at the two foxes.  
  
They were standing rigid and tense, their eyes transfixed on the video screen's image. Both we stark white. Kurama stood still as stone, unblinking, while Chitsuko was visibly shaking. Her breath was coming up short.  
  
"Chit-chan, you alright?" Yusuke walked over to put an arm around the girl, supporting her.  
  
Chitsuko did not respond.  
  
"What is it, Fox?" Hiei moved to stand behind the kitsune.  
  
Kurama did not respond either.  
  
Koenma eyed them both worridly. "Maybe you two should stay in Reikai for a while... Maybe just until it's tomorrow back in Ningenkai. You two look terrible! Get some rest here, you won't be any trouble."  
  
Numbling, Kurama nodded.  
  
"Me and Kuwabara'll head back home. Jin and Touya could use some help." He waved to Chitsuko and Kurama before exiting the office, Kuwabara close behind him.  
  
"I'm going with them," said Hiei mutely before walking out himself. He threw one last glance over his shoulder at Kurama and Chitsuko before the doors slid shut behind him.  
  
"Alright you two, we'll find you both rooms..." Koenma hopped off his chair and skittered over to the doors, followed closely by the blue oni. "Well? Are you two coming?"  
  
"Yeah..." Chitsuko tugged on Kurama's sleeve to get him moving, and the two of them filed out behind Koenma, both still pale as milk.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Hinageshi!"  
  
"Oh NO! I'm sorry!"  
  
It's impossible to sleep here... Chitsuko thought as she pulled herself up to a sitting position. She looked around at the small, dark room Koenma had set up for her; it held a few miscellaneous pieces of furniture, including a floor-length mirror, and a rather grand bed draped in velvety crimson sheets. Rubbing her eyes, she slid off the bed and onto to the floor.  
  
Her bare feet felt good on the cool marble tiles as she padded over to the door in her pajamas. Tugging a blue robe off a peg near the door, she slipping it on and crept into the hallway, closing the door behind her. Walking silently down the hallway, she listened for any sign that someone might be near by...  
  
"AAAAAAIIIIIIIII!"  
  
"HINAGESHI!"  
  
Chitsuko reached the end of the hallway and, peeking around the corner, came across a rather odd, yet comical sight.  
  
A young, short girl with chin-length red hair was sprawled on the floor amidst a sea of scattered papers and folders. The girl was clothed in a tradition dojo-style outfit. Above her stood Botan in her usual pink kimono, her face red with anger, her oar clutched threatening in her hands...  
  
"Hinageshi..." Botan fumed.  
  
"I-I'm sorry Botan!" The girl's voice was high-pitched and somewhat spastic as she frantically tried to pick up the papers, crawling around on her hands and knees. "I was only trying to help..."  
  
"WELL MAYBE YOU SHOULD GO HELP SOMEONE ELSE!" the ferrygirl raged, tugging at her own baby-blue ponytail.  
  
"I'm sorry!" the girl called Hinageshi said pleadingly as she dropped the small pile of papers she was currently holding and had to start cleaning them up all over again.  
  
Botan pressed a hand to her forehead. "Ayame's not going to be too happy..."  
  
"Why am I not going to be happy?"  
  
Another girl came down the hallway behind Botan. She was wearing a black kimono, and deep blue-black hair was tied into a low bun at the back of her head with two clumps framing her face in front. She looked lethargically at Botan and Hinageshi. "What happened here?" Her voice was quiet and calm.  
  
"Hinageshi dropped all the files she was bringing to you from Koenma-sama..."  
  
"I SAID I WAS SORRY!"  
  
Ayame nodded solemnly, a small smile appearing on her face for an instant. "It's alright, Hinageshi-chan." She looked past the red-haired girl and started slightly as her dark eyes settled on Chitsuko. "We seem to have a guest..."  
  
Hinageshi and Botan turned, suddenly aware that there was another person was in the hallway.  
  
"Chit-chan!" Botan smiled warmly. "What are you doing up?"  
  
"I...can't sleep..." Chitsuko said softly as she made her way over to Botan and Ayame, stepping gingerly around the fallen papers.  
  
"I can imagine you have a lot to think about right now..." Botan said, her smile turning sad, her pink eyes kind. "You know, Kurama's room isn't too far away." She pointed down the hallway where Ayame came from. "Go straight then take a right. His door is the sixth on the left."  
  
"Thank you, Botan-chan." Chitsuko smiled gratefully at Botan and began her journey down the long, endless corridor to Kurama's room.  
  
All three ferrygirls watched her go.  
  
"I wonder, why did Koenma put them so far apart? There's a cluster of empty rooms over here, they could've been next door to each other... If they wanted to talk they wouldn't have to walk halfway across the building to do so."  
  
Botan's left eye twitched in its socket. "I came name one reason why Koenma gave those two rooms so far apart..." She laughed ruefully. "Men..."  
  
Hinageshi and Botan chuckled, while Ayame, still looking after Chitsuko, smiled slightly. "She's nice. She's the reborn one, right? The fox demon?"  
  
"Yes," Botan replied, calming down enough to talk clearly. "You've heard the story?"  
  
"Yes, about how her and Kurama are linked by an old promise..." The smile on Ayame's face dimmed a bit. "I believe that those two are linked by more than just a promise..."  
  
Hinageshi and Botan, now silent, turned and watched as Chitsuko disappeared around a corner at the end of the hallway.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko didn't have to walk far to find Kurama. The moment she turned the corner she collided with the youko. The redhead reached out to steady her as she looked up at him.  
  
He smiled down at her, his emerald green eyes glittering. "Can't sleep either?"  
  
The girl shook her head.  
  
"I was just coming to find you," Kurama replied, his voice softer, quieter.  
  
The two stood that way in the corridor for a long moment, staring into each other's eyes through the dim light. Their shadows flickered and melded together on the walls in an unwavering embrace.   
  
At last Kurama, never moving his eyes from Chitsuko's, turned slightly towards the hallway behind him, motioning to an open door six doors down from the corridor's beginning.  
  
"Come on."  
  
Kurama led Chitsuko down the hallway and beconed her to into his room. The golden-haired girl closed the door quietly behind them. The two found themselves in complete darkness, save for a lone candle that gave off a vanilla aroma sitting on the table beside Kurama's bed, and the slit of light that shone under the door.  
  
Kurama crossed to the bed and sank down among its rumpled emerald sheets. Chitsuko followed him, settling herself a foot away from Kurama against a rather fluffy pillow.  
  
"Why did he confide in us?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Why did he confide in us?" Kurama turned to look at Chitsuko once more, his eyes sparkling softly in the candlelight. "Why did Karasu entrust us with this information? Why did he choose to reveal himself to us?"  
  
Chitsuko looked back at him sadly. "I don't know, Kurama-kun..." She looked down, toying with the tassel on the corner of an embroidered throw pillow. "If you say he's so terrible, then why is he being so kind?"  
  
Kurama looked up at the wall across the room, his expression unreadable. "You didn't see what he did to me... that day at the Ankoku Bujustsukkai... You don't know the pain, the terror I felt that day..."  
  
Chitsuko held her breath. For the briefest instant, Kurama looked as scared, as helpess... as vulnerable... as she had once been. She bit back a whimper.  
  
"Kurama..."  
  
In a single movement and a rustle of bedding she was behind him, kneeling on the comforter with her arms around him, his head resting in her lap. She ran her fingers through his blood-red tresses, over his cheeks. She brushed his bangs out of her startlingly green eyes and glimpsed into their depths. One hand cupped his cheek while the other slid down his chest to rest directly over his heart.  
  
Kurama stared up at him, surprised to be feeling this kind of affection from anyone. His heart was pumping face, his mind was spinning... but he couldn't think now. As though he were in a dream, as though he were checking to make sure what was happening was real, Kurama reached up to touch Chitsuko's face.  
  
"Don't shut me out..." he murmured softly.  
  
"What?" was the softer reply.  
  
"Don't shut me out..." he repeated. "Despite all you've told us, you still seem to close yourself off to the world. You can't stay in hiding forever..."  
  
"Kurama..." She whispered his name again and blinked lazily. The warm smell of the candle burning beside the bed was making her sleepy. She yawned and closed her eyes, lifting her hand from Kurama's face to rub them.  
  
Kurama smiled. It was his turn now. Swiftly he sat up, then moved back until he was level with Chitsuko. Laying back, he grasped the girl's shoulders and gently coaxed her down beside him. The girl rested her head on his chest as he put his arms around her.  
  
"I know I can't..." Chitsuko finally replied, snuggling into the boy's shirt. "Good-night..." She took a deep breath, then let the sweet vanilla scent carry her away.  
  
As she drifted off to sleep, warm and safe in Kurama's arms, Chitsuko realized that for the first time in her entire existence, she was honestly, truly, happy...  
  
Kurama closed his own eyes and held Chitsuko tighter. He smiled when he imagined what the boys would say if they could see him now. He, Kurama, who showed affection to no one except his ningen mother. He, Kurama, who was in reality the ruthless, infamous Makai theif.  
  
He, Kurama, who had finally managed to fall in love.  
  
For real.  
  
Koenma, confident that the two had gotten a sufficient amount of sleep, found them that way the next morning; Kurama holding Chitsuko in his arms, both with soft smiles on their faces.  
  
In the Reikai ruler's misinformed opinion, which he made known to the Reiki Tantei and the rest of the girls, neither one had gotten much sleep that night. 


	11. Chapter 10 The Crow, the Fox, and the R...

This one's a doozy. ^^:; 4020 words, to be exact. Don't get too freaked out. ;D Enjoy!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 10: The Crow, the Fox, and the Renegade  
  
Botan and Ayame brought Kurama and Chitsuko back to Ningenkai the morning after their stay. The foxes were dropped off in front of Kurama's home, accompanied by Botan. Ayame returned to Reikai, saying that she had to complete some important paperwork for Koenma that would help him explain the otherworldly disppearance of half of Hell's population. Kurama, Chitsuko, and Botan went inside to find the usual group, plus Jin and Touya, sitting around their living room.  
  
"About time you got back," Yusuke said with a small wave as Botan crossed the room to sit between Keiko and Shizuru. "You guy's get enough sleep?"  
  
"Are you two alright?" Keiko asked before either fox could answer. "Kuwabara said you two looked pretty bad yesterday while you were in Reikai... where Yusuke didn't tell me he was going," she added, throwing a glare in the Spirit Detective's direction.  
  
"I didn't want you to worry!" Yusuke held up his hands defensively.  
  
"You worry me enough already!" Keiko moaned as she folded her arms over her chest, still glaring daggers at the boy.  
  
"Yes, we're alright," Kurama answered before the fight could be furthered. Taking Chitsuko subconciously by the hand, he led her over to an armchair. Chitsuko plopped down into it while Kurama perched himself on the arm beside her.  
  
Everyone was staring at them, blank, expressionless looks on their faces.  
  
"What?" Chitsuko asked, looking back at her friends, confused. "What are you all looking at?"  
  
"Oh, nothing..." Shizuru took a puff of her cigarette and leaned back on the couch, while Botan snickered beside her. Kuwabara broke out in a grin.  
  
Hiei, sitting on the windowsill, said nothing.  
  
"Anyway..." Kurama said slowly, "we should discuss a strategy for capturing this Gouka."  
  
"You're right Kurama." Yusuke sighed. "We have no clues, no information as to his whereabouts. How the hell are we going to find him?"  
  
"Even Jin and I can't find a spirit energy trail," Touya piped up from his spot next to Jin against the wall. "We've come up empty."  
  
The Wind Master nodded. "You've gotta be pretty powerful to mask yer own energy, 'specially here in the Human World where everythin' is more obvious."  
  
"This is insane..." Kuwabara mumbled. "We've got nothin'. Absolutely nothin'."  
  
The other began to mutter to one another, dicussing the possible whereabouts of their suspect and strategies for bringing him out into the open. No one saw Chitsuko tug on Kurama's sleeve, bringing his head down close enough to her so she could whisper softly in his ear.  
  
"We need to see Karasu."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Kurama had vied to stay hidden; he doubted that Karasu would reveal more information with him nearby, since the crow seemed more open towards Chitsuko. He also wanted to stay alert in case the renegade demon decided to attack. The redhead crouched low on the branch, grateful for the thick sheet of green leaves that hid him from view and left enough of a peephole for him to watch Karasu.  
  
Chitsuko stood a little ways away, pacing around a clearing situated in the depths of the park, waiting. She had left the note on his desk telling him to meet her here less than an hour ago at the end of writing class. School had just ended less than ten minutes ago. Everyone should be home by now.  
  
Where was he?  
  
Chitsuko didn't have to wait much longer. Karasu stepped out of the trees ahead of her, his eletric-orchid eyes flashing in the pure afternoon sunshine. His hands were shoved into his pockets as usual, but now he seemed more alert and tense than he did in school. He did not smile when he saw Chitsuko.  
  
"Why did you call me here?"  
  
His voice was chilling to the girl, and she swallowed hard. This wasn't the normally warm, gentle Karasu she had met in her dreams. She could feel something about him harden as she took a step towards him and began to speak.  
  
"I... I need to ask you something," she stammered. "It's... about Gouka."  
  
Karasu neither moved nor spoke. Chitsuko continued.  
  
"We... I... I want to know... If you know who he is..."  
  
Karasu's voice was low as he answered, "I do."  
  
Suddenly and without warning, before Chitsuko could open her mouth to ask another question, her shoulder exploded with pain. With a cry she clutched at it, only to feel something wet and warm beneath her hand.  
  
Her blood.  
  
Looking frantically around the clearing, Chitsuko found no sign of an attacker. She couldn't even spot Kurama in the trees, watching her. She whirled around, her back to Karasu, searching desperately for any trace of anyone other than her teacher.  
  
There was no one there.  
  
Chitsuko froze, not wanting to turn around. She knew what she would find...  
  
Kurama, in the trees, held his breath. If his eyes hadn't deceived him just now...  
  
Forcing herself to move, Chitsuko turned to face Karasu, his breath coming in rapid shaky breaths that she struggled to keep quiet.  
  
Karasu was standing with his right arm ended, his palm facing Chitsuko, his violet eyes dull and dim.  
  
"Karasu..." Chitsuko murmured, her eyes flooding with tears...  
  
Karasu, unblinking, ran at her...  
  
Chitsuko's golden spirit energy began to collect around her extended index finger as she darted forward to meet Karasu...  
  
Kurama leapt from the tree and dashed into the clearing...  
  
"ROSE WHIP!"  
  
"SPIRIT GUN!"  
  
It all happened so fast. A long, thorny whips lashed out from the hand of Kurama and darted towards Karasu. Dozens of mint-colored sphere of light erupted from the black-haired demon's hands, raining down on Kurama and Chitsuko. Kurama narrowly dodged them, his whip striking Karasu across the chest and cutting him deeply. Chitsuko, her heart not in the attack, missed her targert and was bombared by the orbs of light, which exploded as they came in contact with her body, one by one.  
  
With a cry she flew backwards, aided by the force of the explosions, and was ground into the ground, spraying dirt in every which way as she skidded to a halt. She lay still, struggling to breath. Her Meiou High uniform was soaked in fresh blood. She gazed up at the sky above her beginning to fill up with gray clouds. her stormy eyes unfocused, her vision blurred by cold tears.  
  
Karasu had attacked her.  
  
She could still hear the sounds of Karasu and Kurama fighting. Not once did she hear Kurama cry in agony, not once did she hear Karasu's bombs come in contact with his body. But every now and then Karasu would cry out as Kurama's whip struck him, its thorns cutting his flesh deeply.  
  
The girl opened her mouth and let out one long, low wail, forcing her eyes to stay open. If she closed them, she would surely die...  
  
"KARASU!"  
  
Chitsuko turned her head enough to look at the battle ensuing before her. Shigo Aino had appeared in the clearing and was throwing balls of black light in Karasu's direction.  
  
...Wait a minute... Shigo?  
  
Chitsuko struggled to a kneeling position, her eyes rooting on the fight. The black light was now surrounding Shigo, enveloping him and shielding him from view. His shadow was still fainting visible through the bubble of spirit energy. But now it was beginning to fade...  
  
All at once the sphere of light erupted, its remains raining down on the others. Chitsuko cried out as the flecks of energy touched her; they left burn marks behind on her skin as they melted into nothing.  
  
And now, where Shigo had been, a man as tall as Karasu with deep brown hair and eyes of the same color was standing. He wore heavy silver armor over his extremely musular body, and he was glaring at Karasu.  
  
Karasu had stopped, his bombs ceasing their onslaught, and was staring back at armored man. Kurama ran at him one last time, but Karasu flung his arm out to stop him, hitting Kurama hard in the stomach and knocking him backwards to sprawl out near Chitsuko, where he lay still.   
  
The girl crawled over to him, trembling from loss of blood, and pulled him over to her, allowing his upper body to rest again her chest as she stroked his head. His eyes were open slightly, and he was watching Karasu and the man as well. Chitsuko noted the pained expression on his face. Karasu had nearly knocked the wind out of him...  
  
"Damn this human bodies..." she whispered as she held him closer.  
  
"Karasu..." the man said. His voice was deep and menacing.  
  
"Gouka..." Karasu spat back, his violet eyes narrowed.  
  
"Was this all a clever plan of yours?" Gouka asked, looking from him to Chitsuko and Kurama laying on the ground. "Attack the girl, knowing I would come out of hiding to save her?"  
  
Karasu did not answer, but continued to glare at Gouka, his eyes hard and cold.  
  
Gouka chuckled. "You are clever... But of course, you realize how much of a valuable asset to me the girl would be?" He grinned. "The infamous Hanyou Kohana, and her blood, in my hands..."  
  
Chitsuko bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming. Everyone was always after her blood. Always.  
  
"The perfect tool to help me overthrow those idiots in Reikai and set up dominion for myself," he continued, extending a hand towards Chitsuko. "I was going to ask her to join me of her free will, but now that you have coaxed me out of hiding..." his eyes narrowed, "I see your own little plan clearly." Gouka began to pace back and forth in front of Karasu, his eyes never leaving the other demon's face. "You were hoping to destroy me and take this girl for yourself. You knew of plans. You were jealous. YOU wanted to take my power AND the girl's and use it to overthrow King Enma!"  
  
Kurama and Chitsuko stared open-mouthed at Karasu, who remained silent.  
  
"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Karasu..." Gouka said as he stopped his pacing, his gaze wandering to Chitsuko and Kurama.  
  
"Screw you, Gouka." Karasu's face was still expressionless and blank.  
  
Gouka shook his head. "You always were very frosty..." A second later he was kneeling in front of Chitsuko and Kurama, his hand gripping the girl forcefully by the chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.  
  
"You will be mine, Hanyou Kohana... And I promise, I will take better care of you than this asshole did..." He nodded towards Karasu, then leaned in to kiss Chitsuko on the forehead.  
  
With a yell of disgust, Kurama kicked at Gouka, hitting him squarely in the chest. The demon stumbled back, and when he did he was in Shigo's body again, looking quite perturbed.  
  
Straightening up, the demon-in-disguse grinned wickedly down at the two foxes as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his Meiou High uniform. "So, now you know my little secret..." he murmured, before walking off into the trees as though the previous battle hadn't happened.  
  
Chitsuko turned away, whimpering and unable to cry anymore. She hugged herself and stared at the ground, her breathing still rapid. She could feel her blood drying on her clothes, feel her wounds still faintly tricking blood under her magenta-purple uniform. She could hear him walking across the clearing and feel him put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Kohana..."  
  
The girl pushed Karasu's hand off her shoulder, refusing to look at him. She kept her eyes trained on a single, green blade of grass as she listened to him turn and walk away without a word to Kurama. Minutes passed before she opened her mouth and found that her mouth was so dry that she couldn't speak.  
  
From behind, Kurama's arms closed around her, and his lips pressed against the top of her head. He pulled her tight against his body, unable to say anything that could possibly make her feel any better or make the current situation not as bad. He closed his eyes and moved to rest his head on Chitsuko's shouders, pressing his cheek against her cold, clammy one.  
  
At once the sky that had been slowly turning from beautiful blue to forlorn gray erupted. Droplets of rain fell from the sky in a torrential downpour devoid of thunder and lightning.  
  
Chitsuko closed her own eyes and sank back into Kurama's embrace, letting the sky cry for her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"BAKA KITSUNE! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"  
  
"Hiei, please..."  
  
"DON'T 'HIEI' ME, YOU IDIOT! HOW COULD YOU LET IT GO ON LIKE THIS? HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?"  
  
Chitsuko was sitting on the bed in Kurama's room, covered in bandages. Kurama and Hiei were standing feet apart from each other in front of her, Hiei burning with rage and yelling at Kurama as though the youko were an insolent child. Kurama was as unflinching as ever, trying desperately to calm the fiery youkai down.  
  
"Hiei, you must understand, we didn't want you all to worry..."  
  
"WELL YOU SCREWED THAT UP TOO! NOW WE HAVE MORE TO WORRY ABOUT, WITH KARASU BACK AND AFTER CHITSUKO'S ASS! HOW COULD YOU HAVE KEPT THIS FROM US?" Hiei barred his teeth, panting with rage.  
  
"Hiei, I knew about it too..." Chitsuko chimed in quietly.  
  
"...AND THAT'S WHAT REALLY GETS ME!" Hiei whirled on her, frightening her so badly that she flew across the bed and fell off the other side onto the floor.  
  
"Hiei, we're sorry..." Kurama said quickly.  
  
"SORRY ISN'T GOING TO CUT IT!" Hiei screamed. "YOU PUT CHITSUKO IN GREATER DANGER BY NOT TELLING US. YOU HAVE COMMON SENSE, KITSUNE, YOU'RE SMART, WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST TELL US? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"  
  
"Hiei..." Chitsuko gingerly climbed over the bed and crossed the floor to Hiei. "Please, I couldn't... We couldn't..."  
  
"BAKA KITSUNE!"   
  
"Hiei, at least we found out who Gouka is!" Chitsuko said.  
  
"SO WHAT, YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN KILLED!" Hiei glared at Chitsuko one last time before turning on Kurama. "BOTH OF YOU!"  
  
A heavy silence followed this last sentence. A light breeze came through the open window, swirling around the occupants of the room and teasing Chitsuko's bandages. The girl looked sadly at Hiei and took one of his hands in both of hers.  
  
"Hiei... We're really sorry..." she pleaded quietly. "Please... We didn't want everyone getting involved. More of us might've gotten hurt. And we didn't know he would turn out this way. He seemed so... so..." Chitsuko's voice faltered as she let got on Hiei's hand and looked down at the floor. "Don't be mad..."  
  
Hiei stared at the girl before him. What she had done was foolish and reckless... something Yusuke might have done. But she had put her life on the line to keep her friends safe and out of harm's way. She had acted with her heart and not her mind, putting everyone else before herself and risking it all to prevent them from knowing the danger that lay around them...  
  
Hiei stepped forward and put his arms around Chitsuko in a breif embrace that stunned both Chitsuko, Kurama, and himself.  
  
Without a word he turned, picked his katana up off of Kurama's desk and strapped it around his waist. He moved to the window and perched himself lightly on the sill before turning around to look at the two foxes one last time.  
  
"Baka kitsune."  
  
And with that he disappeared into the rainy night, leaving Kurama and Chitsuko standing there in bewildered relief.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So this guy at your school is Gouka?" Yusuke's voice was apprehensive on the other end.  
  
"Yeah..." Chitsuko replied, watching drops of rain slide down the gray windowpane. It was past midnight, and only know had she plucked up the courage to pick up the phone and call one of the others to notify them of Gouka's identity. Kuwabara would ask too many questions, Botan would flip out, and Keiko and Shizuru wouldn't understand. She had already told Jin and Touya, who were now sitting on the couch in Kurama's living room, watching her intently. Kurama was leaning against the wall beside the window, his eyes closed and his head bowed.  
  
There was no better person to talk to right now than Yusuke Urameshi.  
  
"Wow..." the Spirit Detective breathed. "That's kinda creepy. I mean, from what you and Kurama have told me about this guy, he seems pretty normal, except for his overactive sex drive." He chuckled slightly. "So how are we going to fight him?"  
  
"I don't know..." Chitsuko twirled the phone cord around her finger and glanced up at the Shinobi sitting across from her. Jin caught her eye and gave her a small smile, which she returned weakly. Touya offered up a sympathetic look and crossed the room to sit next to her. He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.  
  
"It's alright, he had his spirit energy so heavily masked that even we couldn't trace him. It's a wonder he revealed himself to you, especially since he has attempted to seduce you while in his human form..." the Ice Master said comfortingly.  
  
"Yeah..." Chitsuko swallowed hard.  
  
"Was that Touya?" Yusuke asked from the other end of the line. "Is Jin there too?"  
  
"Yes, hold on..." Chitsuko held out the phone to Jin, who jumped up and grabbed it.   
  
"Urameshi?"  
  
"Jin! What do you think about this whole thing?"  
  
"If ya ask me, it's just one big load of confusion. Can't think straight with the Touch-Touch-Boom guy still running loose and now we find out who busted up the Gates! Koenma says we bet'r hurry up 'cause his father be comin' back soon and then he'll be a goner for sure! But doncha worry, Urameshi, 'cause me 'n Touya gotcher back and together we'll beat down that nasty bastard!"  
  
Jin gave Chitsuko a thumbs-up, causing the girl to smile slightly. But on the inside she was still grimacing. Jin and Touya knew about Karasu. Her and Kurama still couldn't bring themselves to tell everyone they knew Karasu's whereabouts; it would only make them worry more, and possibly put them in greater danger.  
  
And after all, Yusuke and Kuwabara would be mortified beyond belief if they lost their lives to a dead guy.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Karasu attacked me...  
  
Chitsuko twirled her umbrella nonchalantly as she walked through the park, her shoes splashing through puddles, her eyes focused on the dirt pathway before her. Raindrops slid down the sides of her umbrella and fell around her, forming a shimmering curtain shielding her from the world around her. Kurama and Hiei had both offered to accompany her on her walk through the park, but she had declined. She need time to think without disturbance or distraction, and bringing along one of the boys would surely disturb her thought patterns.  
  
It was still raining. It had been for the past week, ever since Shigo revealed himself to be Gouka in the clearing. Kurama and Chitsuko had stuck close together in school, avoiding solitary confrontations with Mr. Bakudan outside of class.  
  
Karasu had seemed to drop his favoritism of the two foxes, and now seemed more bland in his lessons that usual. He did not smile, and he avoided eye contact with Kurama. Chitsuko, however, was always under his watchful gaze, which made the girl nervous and apprehensive of another attack.  
  
They hadn't told Yusuke or the others anything about the Karasu's attack. But now that they knew Gouka's identity, all they had to do was track him down and destroy him. Touya had shown the Reiki Tantei how to use their spirit energy to destroy a soul. It required a lot of spirit energy, and Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Chitsuko came dangerously close to tapping into their life energy.  
  
Chitsuko sighed. Despite all the power she had flowing through her veins, she had yet to master control of all of it.  
  
Glancing around, she noticed the park was empty. "No wonder," she murmured to herself. "It's raining, anyone with common sense will be indoors right about now..."  
  
"Then why aren't you?"  
  
Never in all the countless times he had snuck up on her had she been more afraid.  
  
She turned slowly, letting his image, blurred by the rain, float into her vision; long, shiny black hair...a long black raincoat...a soft, set mouth...piercing violet eyes.  
  
Chitsuko held her breath, hoping beyond all hope that she was imaging him standing before her, praying that he was just a figment of her imagination...  
  
"Kohana..."  
  
But he wasn't. That voice was too sensuous, too alive, to belong to a figment.  
  
To belong to someone who was dead.  
  
"Get away from me..." Chitsuko choked out in a whisper. "Get away..." She began to back away from him.  
  
"Kohana, please..." Karasu followed her, taking a step forward for every one she took backwards. "Listen to me..."  
  
"No, I'm tired of listening to you... Tired of your lies!" she cried. "And stop calling me that name!"  
  
"But it is your name..."  
  
"So what! Don't call me that! I hate you, get away from me! You lied to me!" Chitsuko was screaming now. Her umbrella slipped out of her hands and clattered to the wet sidewalk as she raised her arm and pointed her index finger at Karasu threateningly. A whisp of golden energy was floating around it. "Go away... I hate you..."  
  
"Kohana, I didn't mean to attack you. I only wished to bring Gouka out of hiding. You see, if I attacked you, I knew he would show himself and come to your rescue..." Karasu took slow, ginger steps towards Chitsuko, as though he were genuinely afraid of her firing off her Spirit Gun. "I only wanted to make sure, and to have you see with your own eyes... so you would believe me..."  
  
"What about what Gouka said? About you wanting to take over Reikai for yourself?"  
  
Karasu stopped. They were closer now, Chitsuko's extended arm the only barrier between them. The girl stared up at him through a curtain of rain, his amethyst eyes shimmering as they locked onto her. She was shaking, from cold and fear, as she lowered her arm and let out a soft whimper.  
  
All once Karasu moved forward, cupping Chitsuko's face in his hands. Before she could hit him away, the crow was craning down to press his lips against hers in an affectionate kiss.  
  
Chitsuko's entire body went numb, but her eyes remained wide and alert. Unable to react, she simply stood there, watching Karasu press his cool lips against hers.  
  
The kiss was breif; after what seemed like a second he broke away, and the cold rain hitting Chitsuko's skin broke her trance. She reached up to touch her lips, raw from the kiss. Trembling and wide-eyed, she looked up at Karasu.  
  
His smile was small and soft as he spoke. "You are hundreds of years older and wiser than me, Kohana. Believe what you want to..."  
  
She could feel the blood rush into her cheeks as he turned away, leaving her standing in the middle of the empty park, the icy drops of rain pinching her skin thousands of times over, letting her know that she was not dreaming.  
  
Karasu kissed me... 


	12. Chapter 11 Challenge

Chapter 11: Challenge  
  
"Chitsuko-chan!"  
  
Chitsuko brushed her limp, wet bangs out of her eyes and smiled at Kuwabara as he answered the door. "Hi."  
  
"What happened to you? You're soaked!" Taking the umbrella from the girl's hands and tossing it aside onto the floor, Kuwabara quickly pulled Chitsuko inside and shut the door. The torrential rain outside had yet to cease, and now it pounded on the doors and windows mercilessly.  
  
"What's going on, Kuwabara?" Yusuke emerged from the kitchen carrying a large bowl of popcorn in one hand and a six-pack of soda in the other. He did a double take when he saw Chitsuko standing on the doormat, her clothes and hair dripping with rainwater.  
  
"Holy crap!" Yusuke set the food and drink down on the living room floor in front of the televeision before sprinting across the room to stand beside Kuwabara. "Are you alright? What were you doing out there, taking a shower?"  
  
"Something like that..." Chitsuko kicked her boots off next to her umbrella then shed her coat, disposing of it on a nearby wooden chair.  
  
"Took you long enough to ring the doorbell, Chitsuko..." Shizuru emerged from the hallway, smiling. Yusuke and Kuwabara parted, allowing Kuwabara's older sister to stand directly in front of Chitsuko, her hands on her hips. "You don't need to hesitate, you know. You were standing out there for at least five minutes. You're welcome here anytime..." Shizuru winked.  
  
That's right, Shizuru has extracensory perception. She's spritually aware... Chitsuko smiled back, then suddenly face faulted as Shizuru's expression changed.  
  
Shizuru's amber eyes widened as she stared at Chitsuko. Her mouth went slack, and she opened it as if to say something, then stopped. Her body went suddenly tense and rigid, and she narrowed her eyes until they were almost slits, as though she were in utter disbelief...  
  
Shizuru knew.  
  
Kuwabara's worried eyes were on his sister. "Shizuru? Uh... something wrong?"  
  
Chitsuko, her eyes shining with anxiety, looking pleadingly up at Shizuru and mouthed, "Please..."  
  
Shizuru's expression softened and she pressed a hand to her forehead. "Nothing, just a slight headache, that's all." She turned and made her way back towards the hallway, waving to Chitsuko over her shoulder. "Come on, Chitsuko, let's get you some dry clothes."  
  
"Al...Alright..." Chitsuko took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she followed Shizuru down the hallway and into her room.  
  
When they were both safely inside and out of the boy's hearing, Shizuru shut the door and locked it. Turning to face Chitsuko she asked, "Are you going to tell them?"  
  
Chitsuko rubbed a wet arm timidly and stared at the floor. "Which part?" she asked sheepishly.  
  
"Any of it. All of it." Shizuru slid open her closet door and yanked a faded pair of jeans and black sweater off a hanger. She dropped them onto her bed before pullling open her underwear drawer and producing a clean white pair of panties and a bra. Chitsuko opened her mouth to say more but Shizuru cut her off. "Get out of those clothes. You'll catch cold."  
  
Chitsuko nodded and stripped off her clothes. She didn't mind changing in front of Shizuru; they were both girls, afterall. She donned the borrowed undergarments as she listened to Shizuru speak, more or less chiding the young fox.  
  
"You should have told us. This could get serious now. But... I do understand your motives for not saying a word. But still, you knew where he was. Why didn't you tell us Karasu was running loose? We could've sent him back to Hell by now! And look what he's done to you!" Shizuru grabbed Chitsuko's arm, which was still wrapped heavily in blood-stained bandages. "And after he's nearly killed you, he KISSES you and acts all nice and sweet again? What is going ON here? We need to tell the others, or at least Yusuke or Koenma..."  
  
"Shizuru, we can't tell anybody!"  
  
Shizuru looked blankly at Chitsuko, blinking rapidly. "Why?"  
  
"Because..." Chitsuko pulled Shizuru's sweater over her head and stuffed her arms into the sleeves. "...Because we don't want any of you risking your lives to kill him..."  
  
"Then how are we going to defeat him?"  
  
Chitsuko slid on the jeans and buttoned them. "Kurama and I will take care of him."  
  
"But Fox Boy is terrified of him. I'm sure he told you about the Ankoku Bujutsukkai..."  
  
"Yes, he did."  
  
"Well then? Doesn't that mean anyting to you? Your boyfriend is scared out of his mind by this guy and you don't even care?"  
  
"I care! I just..." Chitsuko sank down onto Shizuru's bed. "...I just don't understand..."  
  
"What don't you understand?"  
  
Chitsuko's gaze slid to the floor. "I... don't understand... anything... Why Karasu is acting this way... Why he helped us and then attack me and then..." She shivered subconciously. "I don't understand why so many demons are after my blood when I know I'm no stronger than Kurama or Hiei or Yusuke... I don't understand why I never fit in, never in my life, until now... Why my mother was taken away from me before I got to know her... The price of bringing me into this world was her life... I would have been better off dead in Makai... Kurama could've just left me and let those youko hunters take care of me... Everyone would be safe and happy right now... if it weren't for me..."  
  
Shizuru crossed the room to side beside Chitsuko on the bed. "Chitsuko..."  
  
"No, I mean it. Nobody would be in danger right now if I hadn't of been sent her, in this body..." She motioned down at her slender human frame. "Kenji Ichihara wouldn't be dead, and maybe Chitsuko Ichihara would have her own life now, without me destroying everyone she loves..."  
  
"But... you are both Hanyou Kohana AND Chitsuko Ichihara," Kuwabara's sister said as she put a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoudler. "You've both merged together to form the person you are today..."  
  
Chitsuko sighed and closed her eyes, her voice barely audible when she spoke. "I don't understand what's happening to Kurama and I..."  
  
Shizuru straightened up and looked at Chitsuko oddly. "You and Kurama? What is going on between you two?" She leaned forward, trying to catch Chitsuko's eye. "Have you two tied the knot yet?"  
  
Chitsuko gasped softly and her eyes flew open, she turned to face Shizuru's understanding stare, her eyes and smile both warm and kind. "We..." Chitsuko swallowed. "I..."  
  
"You love him, don't you?"  
  
Love. The one word that brought tears to the girl's eyes. Love. Everyone she loved ended up dying or being killed, almost always because of her...  
  
"I can't love him..."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"...He'll die..."  
  
"What? Kurama wouldn't up and die on you just because you..."  
  
"HE'LL GET KILLED BECAUSE OF ME, OKAY?" Chitsuko yelled, cutting off Shizuru. She turned quickly away from Shizuru so she wouldn't see the fresh tears collecting in her eyes.  
  
"...Are you at least going to tell him about Karasu's kiss?"  
  
"No." Chitsuko shook her head. "I can't tell him. I don't want to tell him..."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I just don't!"  
  
There was a short pause before Shizuru said, "He loves you too, you know."  
  
Chitsuko did not answer.  
  
"SHIZURU! CHITSUKO!" Kuwabara's voice floated down the hallway from the living room. "HURRY UP AND GET OUT HERE, KURAMA AND HIEI ARE HERE!"  
  
"Oh no..." Chitsuko buried her face in her hands. "No, no, no... The whole point of me coming here was to avoid telling him... I don't want to see him, I'm staying in here..."  
  
"No you're not." Shizuru yanked Chitsuko's arm and pulled her to her feet, dragging her towards her bedroom door. She turned to face the young fox. "Listen, I'm not telling you what to do, but I'm telling you what you should do: tell Kurama. If anyone will understand you, it will be him. You shouldn't keep things from him... He really loves you... I can tell..."  
  
Once again, Chitsuko did not answer, turning her face away to look at the floor again.  
  
Without another word, Shizuru slid open her bedroom door and walked back down the hallway to the living room, Chitsuko close behind her.  
  
"Hey, if it isn't Fox Boy and Jagan-Head," she said with a smile.  
  
Hiei grunted.  
  
"Nice to see you as well, Shizuru." Kurama's smile widened when Chitsuko came into view. The girl winced softly and pretended to be intently interested in the bandana around Hiei's head, diliberately avoiding his stare.  
  
"Great, all we need now are Keiko and Botan and we've got a party!" Yusuke said semi-sarcastically.  
  
"I am sorry, Yusuke," Kurama said apologetically. "I only wanted to make sure that Chitsuko was alright. Thank you for calling me, by the way, Kuwabara. When she didn't come home after school I thought maybe something had happened..."  
  
No, don't talk like that... Don't make me relive it... Chitsuko thought to herself. They're going to get suspicious now and we'll have to tell them...  
  
"Like maybe Gouka would attack her?" Kuwabara asked as he sank down onto the couch.  
  
"Yes," Chitsuko answered for Kurama rather too quickly. Kuwabara and Yusuke shared a quizical look before the Reiki Tantei settled themselves around the Kuwabaras' living room.  
  
"It's raining pretty hard, why don't you all just spend the night? Yusuke, I'll call your mom and let her know you're staying..." With a small smile and a glance at Chitsuko, Shizuru disappeared into the kitchen.  
  
"Speaking of parents, Kurama, is your mom still away?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"Yes. Chitsuko and I have the house to ourselves."  
  
A wicked grin spread across Yusuke's face.  
  
"SHUT UP, YUSUKE!"  
  
Everyone turned to stare at Chitsuko. The girl's face was cherry red as she looked around at them. They were onviously shocked by her outburst; Yusuke hadn't even said a word and she had pounced on him. It was so out of character for her to do that... Usually she had to be provoked or she would try to keep her cool.  
  
"Whoa..." Yusuke breathed. "Sorry, Chit-chan... Didn't mean to..." His voice trailed off when he realized that he had done nothing, and he had no reason to apologize.  
  
"Yeah. Sorry..." Chitsuko drew a shaky breath and looked over at Kurama. There was a pink tinge to his cheeks and he was staring at Chitsuko with a dreamy, glazed over expression on his face, as though her were imagining that...  
  
A scream, muffled by the wall between them and the rain outside, reached their ears. Chitsuko was the first one to her feet, grateful for the destraction, and out the front door into the hurricane of a storm before anyone could call her back. She splashed across the small grassy area, too small to be considered a lawn, towards the sidewalk, where two shadowy figures were wrestling in the darkness...  
  
"Get away from me! I didn't do anything to you!"  
  
"Calm down, lassie! It you who attacked me in the first place!"  
  
Chitsuko recognized the two voices that pierced the night air like bullets.   
  
"Jin!"  
  
"Chitsuko?" The taller of the two figures stopped long enough to raise his head and look around. Chitsuko saw the point of his horn glistening with rain.  
  
"GET AWAY!"  
  
A sphere of lime-green light burst from the smaller of the two figures and hit Jin square in the chest. The demon stumbled backwards then fell backwards onto his behind with another light splash.  
  
"SHARDS OF WINTER!"  
  
"TOUYA, NO!"  
  
A shower of icy darts shot down the sidewalk at the small figure, knocking it onto its back with a cry. Through the sheets of rain Chitsuko could see crimson blood seeping onto the sidewalk.  
  
"TOUYA!" She shouted in the direction from which the shards came. Touya's form moved out from behind a tree, grimacing. "He attack Jin!"  
  
"It's not a 'he'... Oh Kami, Mayaka!"  
  
Chitsuko was on her stooping beside the girl laying on the sidewalk. Pushing the girl's long, wet hair out of her face, she scooped her body into her arms and started to make her way back to Kuwabara's house. "Jin, Touya..." she said without looking at them. "Come on."  
  
The two Shinobi exchanged an apprehensive glance before they followed the golden-haired girl into the house.  
  
Chitsuko was met by the Reiki Tantei and Shizuru, who stared at her in awe as they watched her carry the water-logged girl into the living room, where she set her down on the floor.  
  
"How could you... Whoa..." Kuwabara said quietly, as he looked back and forth at Chitsuko and Mayaka.  
  
Chitsuko kneeled beside the cut and bleeding Mayaka and checked for a pulse. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be unconcious. "She's not that heavy. Or I'm just strong." She smiled weakly. "She's alive, but..." Chitsuko glanced over at Touya, who looked utterly ashamed.  
  
"Look, don' worry about it, Touya," Jin said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I was just flyin' aroun', mindin' my own business when I see this girl with that Shigo kid that's really Gouka. Well, I figure I might as well save her since the guy's a demon an' all, but the minute I show up, he disappears and this girl started firing green balls at me! Touya here was just lookin' out for me, ain't that right, Touya?"  
  
The Ice Master nodded. "What was she doing, conversing with the enemy? And where did she get this power? Is she..."  
  
"Spiritually aware?" Kurama finished for him, sinking down onto the floor beside Chitsuko. "Not that I know of..."  
  
Suddenly Mayaka's eyes fluttered open. She looking around, blinking rapidly, before her eyes rested on Kurama. "Shuichi..." She reached out to touch his face, but became suddenly aware of Jin and Touya standing behind him.  
  
"YOU!" she screamed, jumping to her feet. "DON'T YOU DARE COME NEAR ME!" Another ball of lime-green spirit energy, smaller than the first, shot towards Jin. This time, the demon darted out of the way, and the ball hit the opposite wall and vanished.  
  
"You... You..." Mayaka whirled on Chitsuko, who had stood up and tried to restrain her. "What am I... What are you... Where am I?"  
  
"You're at the Kuwabara house." Chitsuko motioned to Kuwabara and Shizuru, who both nodded a greeting to the strange, spastic, and soaked girl looking wildly around their living room.  
  
"Now it's our turn." Jin stalked up to Mayaka, who looked frightened and gripped Chitsuko hard. "What were you doin', talkin' to Gouka?"  
  
"Gouka?" Mayaka blinked, obviously confused.  
  
"Come now, you can't tell me you don't know who Gouka is!"   
  
"I... What?"  
  
"I bet he gave you your powers too!"  
  
"FOR YOUR INFORMATION, SHIGO AINO GAVE ME MY POWERS BECAUSE HE WANTED TO HELP ME SEDUCE SHUCHI MINAMINO!" Mayaka screamed.  
  
Chitsuko let go of Mayaka and took a step back from her. Everyone's eyes were glued to Mayaka, who seemed to shrink back under their gaze. Slowly, everyone turned to look at Kurama, who's facial expression was completely blank and unreadble.  
  
"Mayaka..." he said softly.  
  
"Wh... What?" Mayaka swallowed hard. So this would be the price of her outburst...  
  
"Shigo gave you this power?" he asked calmly.  
  
Mayaka nodded.  
  
Kurama looked down at the floor for a moment, then raised his eyes to meet Chitsuko's. "She is a pawn..." he whispered.  
  
"'Pawn'? Pawn of what?" Mayaka looked scared now, her eyes darting from person to person as her breath began to come in harsher gasps. She stumbled backwards as though she would faint and grabbed onto a lamp for support. "I'm a... what?"  
  
No one got a chance to answer her. The front door blew open with a bang, sending everyone onto the floor. The lights in the house flickered then exploded, showering the Reiki Tantei with orange and yellow sparks. Chitsuko, who was closest to open door, was knocked back against the wall. Rain, mud, and debris blew into the house, knocking over lamps other loose items and splattering the furniture.   
  
Chitsuko moaned and rubbed her head. The wind raging through the door, while forcing everyone flat on the ground, seemed to be dragging her out into the storm outside. She, defenseless, reached out for something to hold her back, to keep her from being sucked outside by this mysterious force...  
  
A hand grabbed hers, and she was pulled into someone's arms. There was the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath, and the loud clank of metal on metal. Whoever was holding her lay still on the ground, one arm around her, holding her tight against a well-muscled chest. Squinting through the darkness, she made out a large moving figure close in front of her, shining in a way that reminded her of water on metal...  
  
"Gouka!" From far off Chitsuko Kurama's voice. There was a crack, and Gouka was knocked back against the opposite wall, many thorns stuck in his armor.   
  
"YOU TRICKED ME! YOU BASTARD, YOU TRICKED ME! YOU USED ME!" Like bullets, dozens of lime-green spheres struck Gouka, preventing him from moving. Mayaka's voice rang out like a shotgun. "YOU USED ME!"  
  
Gouka snickered. "So you finally figured it out? It's too late now, anyway... Remember what I took from you in exchange for this power?" His voice was cold and foreboding.  
  
"N-No..." Mayaka stammered, her voice dripping with fear. "What did you do to me?"  
  
Gouka laughed, hard and malicious. "You'd think you would notice if your own soul was missing!" He continued to laugh as the wind howled around them...  
  
"HOW COULD YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A GIRL LIKE THAT?!" There was a shimmer of orange light, and then a ray of light that could only be Kuwabara's Spirit Sword struck Gouka in the chest. Gouka seemed unphased by this, and reached out with his hand. There was a flash of black light and Kuwabara was at Chitsuko's feet, a gash near his right temple gushing blood.  
  
"Kuwabara!" Chitsuko called out, reaching for him. But the arm around her tighetened. She could now faintly hear the person's heart beating; it was racing in his chest, raging like the wind that picked up in the room...  
  
"SPIRIT GUN!" A blast of blue energy engulfed Gouka, but it didn't seem to bother him. The light faded quickly to reveal a smirking, yet obviously perturbed, demon renegade.  
  
What looked like a miniature tornado hit Gouka square in the face, causing black blood to splash everywhere as the wind picked up the liquid and carried it around the room. Chitsuko screamed as the blood hit her arm, the liquid burning like hellfire against her skin. She cried out and tried desperately to wipe it off, only to get in on her hands. She could feel her skin being eaten away by the acidic blood as she watched a shower of ice shards rain down on Gouka, who batted them away as though they were flies.  
  
"I have come here to challenge you..."  
  
The room was silent except for the roaring of the wind and the pounding of the rain.  
  
"A week from today we will fight... The winner gets to keep Ningenkai... and her..."  
  
A hand slid up her thigh and she kicked out madly, repulsed. The arm around her tighetened once more as a sword came in contact with Gouka's armor, causing him to draw back. He laughed again, and Chitsuko could feel his gaze slicing through the darkness to rest on her.  
  
"I will see you in the park at exactly eight o'clock in the evening, one week from now..."  
  
"What if we don't want to fight?" It was Mayaka.  
  
"You have no choice..." Gouka voice chilled Chitsuko to bone as he spoke. "Either you fight me at the appointed time... or you die now..."  
  
Mayaka whimpered.  
  
"Very well. Remember... one week from now... And Hanyou Kohana..." Chitsuko turned and buried her face in her protector's rain-soaked shirt. There was the sound of a sword clattering to the floor and the figure was embracing her, holding her tightly. She looked up and a small gasp escaped her lips.  
  
A soft violet glow illuminated a pair of piercing ruby-red eyes, their vengeful stare directed at Gouka.  
  
"Hiei..."  
  
The moment she murmured his name the youkai let go of her, forcing her to sit up beside him. She was too busy staring intently at Hiei to focus on Gouka's last words...  
  
"...You will be mine..."  
  
The front door slammed shut and Gouka disappeared in a flash of black light and a shower of sparks.   
  
No one spoke for a long time. There was rustling at everyone moved to stand up and check themselves for wounds. Chitsuko felt her arm and other hand and found that strong, hard welts had risen where Gouka's blood had touched her. She looked at Hiei once more. His Jagan had ceased its glow, and she had to squint through the darkness to see him.  
  
"Hiei..."  
  
"Thank goodness, are you alright?" Kurama's voice was in her ear and she was in his arms now, being rocked back and forth as though she were an infant. Much to her surprise she felt his lips pressing against her forehead.  
  
"Yes, I-I'm fine..." Unwillingly, Chitsuko pushed Kurama away and struggled to her feet. She heard a little cry of disappointment as she moved away from the youko. "Damn you..." she whispered to herself as she searched for Mayaka. "I'm sorry, Kurama..." she murmured.  
  
"Who's Kurama?"  
  
Mayaka's voice was soft, not as harsh as it usually was. Reaching out a hand, Chitsuko felt Mayaka grasp it. The hanyou sank down onto her knees beside the girl. "Are you alright?"  
  
Mayaka ignored this question. "Who is Kurama? I've heard you talk about him before... What about Shuichi?"  
  
"I am Kurama." He was beside Chitsuko now.  
  
"Shuichi...?"  
  
A light flickered suddenly, and Kuwabara and Shizuru appeared carrying trays of candles and medical equipment. They set them down on the living room floor as the group gathered around them in a circle.  
  
"The whole town is out," Shizuru said matter-of-factly as she made her way over to Mayaka and Chitsuko with one of the trays. On it was a bowl of warm water, a washcloth, and several rolls of bandages. She turned to look at Kurama. "Kurama, I trust you'll aid with the healing?"  
  
"Yes." Kurama nodded, then set to work helping Chitsuko clean her and Mayaka's wounds.  
  
"I don't understand... What's going on?" the black-haired girl asked, once again looking around at everyone.  
  
"Mayaka..." Chitsuko paused, her blistered hand now wrapped in bandages. "What you are about to hear may seem a little strange... But we promise, we're not lying to you... Not like Shigo did... We won't tell you if you don't believe us, and if you get too hysterical we'll have to erase your memory." She glanced at Kurama, who nodded to her. Kurama knew of a certain blend of plants that could create a serum for erasing someone's memory.  
  
Mayaka looked at Chitsuko, then Kurama, then at the rest of the Reiki Tantei. Hiei merely stared at her as he wiped his katana clean of black blood using the hem of his cloak. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at her kindly, while Shizuru scrutinized her as she lit her cigarette using one of the candles on the floor. Jin and Touya looked at each other, then smiled weakly at Mayaka, hoping that she would accept their smiles as tokens of apology.  
  
Mayaka looked into Chitsuko's eyes, nearly drowning in their depths. It was then that Mayaka recognized the otherwordly quality the girl possessed; the light that danced in her eyes was too bright to belong to a normal person...  
  
The honey-eyed girl nodded, never breaking the gaze she held on Chitsuko. "Tell me. After all this... I find it hard to believe... that I won't believe you..." 


	13. Chapter 12 Preparation

For all of you who have threatened me, all of you who have yelled at me for making Kurama and Chitsuko dance around each other.... YOU CAN'T KILL ME NOW! HA!  
  
=^^= Do enjoy. ;D ~Lexi-chan~  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 12: Preparation  
  
The week seemed to go by abnormally fast. The torrential rain gave way to the clear, bright sunshine, ethereal and unreal to the Reiki Tantei as they prepared for their upcoming battle. These finals days were spent training the park or holding low conversations in locked bedrooms. The tension and anxiety surrounding the group was endless.  
  
Botan, Keiko, and Koenma had been notified of the challenged. While Koenma merely paincked for several days, convinced that he would lose his best group of Spirit Detectives yet, Keiko and Botan were terrified. During their conversations, Keiko would suddenly burst into tears, and Botan would sit silently for hours on end if nobody approached her to talk. All the in all, the girls seemed to take it harder than the boys. Even Shizuru seemed worried, busying herself with calming Keiko down or sitting quietly next to Botan.  
  
Mayaka and Chitsuko were a completely different story.  
  
Mayaka, who had heard everything and, despite Chitsuko's worries, believed everything, had taken to accompanying the hanyou to the park everyday for her additional training with Hiei. The katana the fiery youkai had given her a long time ago was now put to good use; she kept it clean and polished until the day she would finally use it battle. Hiei was impressed with how well she was getting along in her lessons. The girl reminded him of Yusuke in a way: quick to adapt and quicker to learn.  
  
Chitsuko was in turn coaching Mayaka in the use of her own spirit energy. Mayaka could summons balls of her energy and throw them at an opponent. However, after doing so, the girl was prone to fainting spells and coughing fits, as though she had become suddenly ill. She would get dizzy in the middle of a training session and have to sit down for an extended period of time before she could get on her feet once more. Chitsuko also noticed that after each time she used her spirit energy, her fits grew steadily worse and more severe. Why this was so, not even Kurama could figure it out. Now she was dependant on Chitsuko, who she had become nicer to ever since the rainy night when Gouka attacked them all.   
  
And Chitsuko was happy to say that Mayaka had completely given up on seducing Kurama.  
  
School was worse. Kurama, Chitsuko, and Mayaka saw Shigo every day in class. The demon-in-disguise would carry on a conversation, acting as though last Friday had never happened. But the three of them could not play along; their hatred for the infamous Gouka was rooted so deep in their souls that they had no will to mask their fury in public. Chitsuko stayed close to Kurama in the hallways, and Mayaka simply turned and walked the other way when he approached her. Mayaka couldn't even pretend she didn't hate him, after all the pretending and the two-faced act she had carried on all her life...  
  
He had stolen her soul.  
  
In a way, she was dead. Dead. Devoid of a soul. Robbed of her afterlife in a blissful Heaven. She had done nothing wrong. All she had wanted was love... But now she had realized that she wasn't meant to be with Shuichi Minamino... or Youko Kurama, as he was really called. Someday she would find the one, and she would live happily ever after, looking back and laughing at her idiotic school-girl crushes...  
  
But no, she didn't even have a future.  
  
Gouka had taken her soul in exchange for power... How stupid she was. How moronically selfish and greedy of her... But now she would use that power against him. Now she would get her revenge...  
  
Now she would make it up to Chitsuko and Kurama for all the trouble she had caused.  
  
* * * * *  
  
It was the Thursday, the day before the battle.  
  
Yusuke, Keiko, Chitsuko, and Kurama were seated on the bed in Yusuke's bedroom. Hiei sat in his normal spot on the windowsill, looking out into the fading daylight with his usual unreadable, set expression. Kuwabara and his sister were seated with their backs against the wall next to the bed. Touya sat cross-legged on the floor, with Jin sprawled on his stomach beside him. Mayaka was curled up with her back against the bed, every once and a while looking up at Chitsuko, who gave the frightened girl a reassuring smile. Botan, in her pink ferrygirl kimono, stood in front of them beside Koenma, in his teenage form, his pacifier still in his mouth.  
  
"Now listen up," Koenma said. He took a deep breath. "This mission has been far different than any you have ever had, or ever will. You had to round up demon souls that had escaped from Hell and put them in their proper place... whether by capturing them with the Orb of Baast and locking them back behind Hell's gates, or dissolving their souls and destroying them completely..."  
  
When nobody replied, the Reikai ruler continued his speech. "And now comes your hardest test yet: you must destroy the demon who broke up the Gates himself. The only way to do this, and prevent him from breaking open the Gates of Hell again... is by dissolving his soul."  
  
"But Koenma..."  
  
"I'm getting there, Yusuke. As I was saying, I highly doubt that any of you know how to do this... except Touya, who I know Chitsuko, Kurama, and Hiei have seen in action..."  
  
Touya glowed with pride.  
  
"...And I doubt even more that any of you have enough spirit energy to pull the attack off by yourselves... save perhaps Kurama or Yusuke... or even our Chitsuko..."  
  
Chitsuko lowered her eyes to avoid meeting his gaze.  
  
"But the fact is," Koenma continued, "that none of you can do this alone. So you must pull together and fight as one. No taking the battle into your own hands..." he threw a piercing glare in Hiei's direction, "or trying to be noble. You are in this together..." At this point, Koenma turned his soft gaze to Mayaka, who figeted uncomfortable under his stare. "I understand you are new to this whole thing..."  
  
She nodded.  
  
Koenma sighed. "If I could have things my way, I wouldn't involve you..."  
  
"But I want to help!" Mayaka said pleadingly. "I know I've been a bitch to Kurama and Chitsuko.. and I want to make up for it. Besides..." her voice lowered and her eyes glazed over as her gaze dropped to the floor. "He has something of mine I need to get back..."  
  
The girl was given a long, respectful silence, before Koenma cleared his throat and resumed. "At any rate, our Shinobi allies have found out something that may come in handy when doing battle with Gouka. Touya?"  
  
Touya nodded, then stood up, addressing the group. "We know of Gouka's secret weapon. It is true, that he has the ability to control souls... But he also has the ability to dissolve them... Destroy them without a trace and without burning up large quantities of spirit energy."  
  
"You've gotta be kidding..." Kuwabara said weakly as he stared at the Ice Master.  
  
Touya shook his head. "It's true."  
  
"We hafta be careful now," Jin piped up, rolling over onto his back. "We hafta protect one another so we don't get it. We get it, we're a goner."  
  
"That's right, we all have to be careful." Keiko nodded once vigorously, then turned to look at Chitsuko. "Especially you."  
  
Chitsuko blanched and turned her face away, squeezing her eyes shut.  
  
"Wrong thing to say, Keiko," Yusuke muttered.  
  
"Oh, oh! Chitsuko-chan, I'm so sorry... Chitsuko..." Keiko put a hand on Chitsuko's shoulder, which was promptly shrugged off at the girl stood up and made her way to the door.  
  
"I don't want to talk anymore..." she reached out for the locked but was stopped as another hand took hold of hers.  
  
Chitsuko spun around to come face-to-face with Kurama. His emerald eyes were shining with anxiety, but his voice was gentle as he spoke, pulling her gently away from the door and towards him as he did so.  
  
"I know you're scared... We all do... But we can't show weakness now. And we won't let him get you, Kohana-chan..."  
  
The room went silent at Kurama's use of Chitsuko's demon name.   
  
Chitsuko bit her lip and fought back tears at the boy pulled her into his arms. She kept her arms at her sides, willing herself not to return the embrace and respond to his affection.  
  
You can't love him, she thought to herself. Everyone you love ends up getting hurt or killed. If you love him... he'll die...  
  
Kurama awkwardly let go of her and stared down into her face. The girl turned her head, avoiding his eyes.  
  
"Chitsuko-chan?" That unmistakable tone of voice let her know that he was hurt.  
  
"I'm alright." She looked around the room at everyone, one by one: to Kuwabara and Shizuru's worried faces, to tear-stained Keiko's, to Yusuke's reassuring smile, to the fear in Mayaka's eyes, to the tense faces of Botan and Koenma, and back to Kurama, who's eyes were shining with hope and pride... in her.  
  
Forcing a small smile onto her face, she nodded and repeated, "I'm alright."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Karasu sat on the deserted park swing, watching puffy white clouds roll by overhead. He sighed as he kicked the ground underneath him, making the plastic strap he sat on move back and forth, back and forth, his hands gripping the chains that connected it to the bar above him.  
  
What was the famous Karasu, ex-member of Team Toguro, doing sitting on a child's toy in a Ningenkai park?  
  
He was upset.  
  
For the first time since his enslavement by Toguro, Karasu, the bomb-happy demon who had unfairly been called a "molester" by so many, was upset.  
  
And it was because of the girl.  
  
Hanyou Kohana.  
  
He recoiled on hand from the chains at his sides and looked down at it. He turned it over and over, watching the light of the dying sun slide over his smooth skin. He sighed again. Manifesting a body for himself was so hard, he hardly had enough spirit energy left to defend himself in case of an attack. In case he needed to fight...  
  
He had fought Chitsuko.  
  
No.  
  
He had attacked her.  
  
He slammed his fist hard against his thigh. If only he had come up with a better plan for driving Gouka out and making him reveal himself to Kurama and Chitsuko, if only he hadn't been so hasty, if only...  
  
There was no point in "if only"s. There was no point in anything.  
  
Why had he come back? To warn Kurama of course, so the youko could then warn the Reiki Tantei in turn. But the girl had sprung up, Hanyou Kohana... The hanyou that demons talked about in tell, the hanyou they scorned, the hanyou that repulsed them because she had been born of a weak mortal and the ningen-loving demon who had mated with him. She was wanted dead. They all wanted her dead, destroyed...  
  
And Gouka was the perfect man to do it.  
  
He had spoken of it far too often: find Hanyou Kohana, take her blood, harness its power, then dissolve her soul, leaving nothing left of the legend. And then he would round on Kurama, the demon who had been softened by humans, who had turned traitor... who had helped Hanyou Kohana to survive...  
  
But Karasu loved them.  
  
He had not said a word to anyone in Hell about it. They knew he had fought Youko Kurama in the Ankoku Bujutsukkai, knew of his fetish... his love... for the fox. Knew that he would do anything to get his hands on Kurama...  
  
But now, he loved Kohana too. He would do anything for them, anything...  
  
But they both hated him now, and there was nothing he could do about it...  
  
And then the promise he had made to Chitsuko came back to him, and he turned his amethyst gaze to the sunset before him, it's red light staining the sky like blood...  
  
* * * * *  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
Chitsuko was sitting on the couch at home, polishing her sword for the dozenth time that week. Kurama was pacing the living room floor in front of her, his eyes glued to her set face.  
  
"Something's wrong..."  
  
"No it isn't."  
  
"Why are you so odd around me?"  
  
The girl's head snapped up and she met Kurama's emerald stare.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I asked you, why are you so odd around me?"  
  
Chitsuko stood up, stuffed the rag she was using to clean her sword with into her pocket, and headed for the stairs. "I don't know what you mean..."  
  
"You get so jittery and nervous, and... and cold."  
  
This last word made her turn around again. She blinked slowly and watched as Kurama made his way over to her, his gaze still set upon her.   
  
"Wh...What?"  
  
Kurama's voice was almost a whisper. "Why are you so cold?"  
  
A small whimper escaped her throat. She turned and fled up the stairs, dropping her katana in the process. The sound of it clattering downstairs melded with the sound of Kurama running upstairs after her. Chitsuko was halfway down the dark hallway before Kurama's hands reached out, finally grabbing hold of her, and shoved her against the wall.  
  
Chitsuko entire body grew tense. She stared up at Kurama, who had an oddly shocked expression on his face.  
  
"Sorry..." he said quickly, realized that he had just slammed the poor girl into the wall and was now pinning her there. "I just... I..."  
  
"Kurama?" Chitsuko whispered.  
  
They both stood still, eyes locked on each other. Chitsuko held her breath. Kurama felt himself falling headlong into the depths of her story blue-gray eyes once more, just the day they had first met... The girl's body was trembling with anxiety, with nervousness as Kurama took his hands away from her.  
  
"Kohana... I need to know..."  
  
Chitsuko couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"Oh, Kurama!"   
  
The redhead was cut off as the girl grabbed hold of his sidelocks rather forcefully and pulled his face down towards her, closing her eyes and pressing her lips against his in the sweetest and most awkward of kisses as a tempest of bottled-up emotions exploded within her.  
  
Kurama let his own eyes flutter closed as he placed his hands firmly on Chitsuko's waist, responding to the kiss by pressing his own lips a bit harder against hers. His heart felt as though it would burst; his insides were twisting themselves up so badly he feared he would vomit. But it wasn't a sick feeling...  
  
...It was a joyous one.  
  
Chitsuko was melting. She couldn't believe what was happening. His lips were so warm, so sweet... She moved her mouth against his with a soft sigh, and without breaking the embrace, reached up to cup the youko's face tenderly in her hands, his cheeks smooth and soft against her palms.  
  
Kurama kissed her deeply one last time before pulling back to look at her. He lowered his head down until his forehead was against hers, a small smile creeping over his lips.  
  
"That's all I need to know."  
  
Chitsuko returned the smile, her eyes glistening with unshed tears of joy.  
  
"We better get some sleep..." Kurama put his arm around his girlfriend's waist and led her down the hallway to their rooms. They stood in the hallway between them for a long moment, before Chitsuko moved away to enter her room.  
  
"Good-night, Kurama..."  
  
Playfully, Kurama reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. He pulled her back towards him, sliding one arm around her waist to prevent her from getting away. Grinning, his laced his fingers through the hand he had caught and kissed her again soundlessly. This time, Chitsuko's arms slid around his neck, and the youko wrapped both of his arms tightly around her waist.  
  
The second kiss was deeper. More intense. Harder. It was sensuous, passionate... The kiss was rhythmic; Kurama steadily kissed her deeper and deeper as his arms tightened around his waist and his heartbeat quickened. Chitsuko moaned into his mouth and tangled her fingers in his blood-red tresses, responding as best as she knew how.  
  
So this is what it feels like to be in love...  
  
Finally they pulled apart again, panting and breathless, their lips red and raw from the intensity of their last kiss. For a while they could say nothing, just cling to each other as they caught their breath. Kurama rubbed the girl's back as the two of them slowly calmed down, their minds still spinning from the hot, fiery affections that danced around them.  
  
"I'm scared, Kurama..."  
  
"Don't be. We're here to protect you..." Kurama pulled back, taking Chitsuko's hands in his and squeezing them tightly. "I'm here to protect you... I made a promise... I promised I would find you. I promised I would take care of you..."  
  
Kurama let go of Chitsuko and backed up to his bed, where he sat down, his glittering eyes still locked on Chitsuko. He smiled. "And I intend to keep every word of my promise to its fullest."  
  
Chitsuko smiled. Quite suddenly a giggle escaped her throat. "Remember when I used to think you were going to kill me?"  
  
Kurama laughed as well. "Yes, I do. But I haven't... and I never will."  
  
"Kurama..."  
  
Chitsuko ran to him, knocking him backwards onto the bed, and flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Kurama, still laughing, shifted so the girl could lay next to him. He slid his arms around her again and pulled her tight against his chest. She snuggled against him, content in the warmth that radiated from his body. She could feel his soft, smooth, flawless skin through his silken pajamas. Being so close to him, she realized that he smelled faintly of spring roses.  
  
"Are you staying with me tonight?" he asked softly, pressing another kiss into the top of her head.  
  
"Yes." Chitsuko nodded. "Good-night, Kurama-kun..." She yawned, her eyes slid shut, and she let the full ecstacy of the moment carry her into a sweet, unbroken sleep...  
  
I love him...  
  
Chitsuko's breathing became slow and steady. She had fallen asleep already... With a small smile on his face, Kurama tightened his hold on her and, before drifting into slumber himself, whispered words into the girl's ear that he couldn't bring himself to say when she was awake, words he had denied her ever since he had met her, words that expressed the blossoming emotions buried deep in his heart and soul...  
  
"I love you." 


	14. Chapter 13 The Battle Begins

Chapter 13: The Battle Begins  
  
Chitsuko awoke to the soft ticking on the clock on Kurama's bedside table. Moving slowly and gently so as not to wake the redhead sleeping peacefully beside her, she propped herself up on one elbow and blinked lazily as she looked around. It was still dark; not a light was on the in the entire house. Chitsuko glanced at the clock. It read two thirty-five.  
  
The girl shivered as a sudden chill swept through the room. With a slight start she realized that the window was open and the cool night air was flooding into the room. Sliding out of her sleeping companion's embrace, she tiptoed across the room and slid the window shut with a click.  
  
"You look so beautiful when you sleep."  
  
Chitsuko whirled around and came face-to-face with her worst nightmare.  
  
Shigo was leaned against the opposite wall, his arms crossed over his chest, smirking at the sleeping form of Kurama on the bed. His shaggy white-blonde hair hung in his eyes, glittering dangerously in the darkness.  
  
"What do you want?" Chitsuko asked in a fierce whisper.  
  
Shigo's eyes flashed as he turned to look at her, and instantly Chitsuko knew she didn't want to hear the answer.  
  
Much to her relief, and suspicion, he didn't give it as he strode slowly across the room towards the bed. He reached out, and with one finger gentle traced a line down Kurama's cheek.  
  
"What are you doing? Get away from him!" Chitsuko flung herself at Shigo, grasping his arm firmly and yanking him back away from the bed. Shigo did not fight her; he stumbled back against her with a chuckle as though he had no strength or will of his own.  
  
"You really love him, don't you?"  
  
"That's none of your business!" Chitsuko shot back. "Now get out of here!"  
  
"But I came all this way to talk to you..."  
  
"Get the hell out of this house..."  
  
"...All the way from the bowels of Hell..."  
  
Chitsuko let go of his arm and took a step back as her breath caught in her throat.  
  
It was true then. He had come for her. And only her...  
  
"Shut up," she said without thinking, unable to find a response to his last words. "Kurama might wake..."  
  
The boy openly laughed this time, sending a painful tremor down Chitsuko's spine. He continued to do so for a minute or so, before the girl began to feel uneasy.  
  
"Why... are you laughing?" Her eyes darted to Kurama's sleeping form. "What did you do to him?" She ran to the bed and pressed a hand to the youko's forehead. It was unnaturally cool. Panicking, she grabbed his wrist. His pulse was weak and faint.  
  
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" Chitsuko whirled on Shigo, her heart pounding, her anger spreading throughout her body like wildfire.  
  
"It is merely a little insurance..." Shigo replied calmly.  
  
"Insurance for what?"  
  
"That you'll listen to me..."   
  
"I don't have to listen to you..."  
  
Shaking his head, Shigo held up one hand, his fingers poised as though he was going to snap them. "Either you listen to me, and Lover-Boy remains unharmed... or you choose to ignore me, and he dies, with a mere snap of my fingers..."  
  
Chitsuko bit back a cry. She looked down at Kurama, sleeping peacefully on the comforter, and knew she had to listen to her enemies words. Lowering her head and closing her eyes, she said quietly, "Talk."  
  
"I knew you would listen..." With a wry smile, Shigo stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to pace the room in front of the bed. "Tonight we will fight. You and your friends... versus me. However... I will give you an alternative choice..."  
  
The girl raised her face to look at him, her eyes devoid of their usual happy glow. Shigo, seeing her had her full attention, moved closer to her until his face was merely an inch away from her own.  
  
He didn't notice the shadow flitting around the window.  
  
"You can fight against me, as originally planned..." Shigo said softly, "...or you can come with me, and I will give you power such as you have never seen or felt before..."  
  
Chitsuko's eyes narrowed. "What would I want with that power?"  
  
"You could do anything with it. You could rule the world..."  
  
"What about Kurama?"  
  
"What about him?" Shigo's voice went flat, and he glared at the sleeping Kurama with contempt. "You don't need him. I could give you everything he could, and more..." Shigo reached out and grabbed the girl forcefully by the waist, pulling her to her feet and grinding his hips against her own. "Love, lust... It's all ends in the same way. I could make your heart beat so fast you wouldn't know the difference..."  
  
Chitsuko took a shaky breath to steady herself as she pushed Shigo away. "No. My place is here, with my friends. They're like family to me... And you're wrong.... I do need him..." She reached back and took Kurama's cold, limp hand. Gazing over her sleeping lover, she knew she was telling the truth. The truth that had been bursting to be told since the day she first met him...  
  
Turning suddenly, she faced Shigo again, resolute and firm. "I will fight you tonight beside the Reiki Tantei... and you will perish utterly from this world..." Her stormy eyes flashed silver for a brief instant before narrowing to almost slits. "I promise you."  
  
Shigo nodded, looking slightly disappointed. "Very well then..." He turned and made his way to the window, pulling it open rather aggressively, almost angrily. Climbing up onto the sill, he spoke one last time without looking back at Chitsuko. "This is my last offer..." And with that he was gone, another deep shadow in a sea of endless darkness.  
  
The girl breathed a sigh of relief and felt Kurama's pulse once more. It was steady, and his body was warmer. As she placed a hand on his forehead, the boy stirred and opened his eyes, his shimmering emerald gaze cutting through the night.  
  
"Chitsuko? What's wrong?" His voice was soft with drowsiness.  
  
"Nothing..." With a small smile, the girl sank down onto the bed beside Kurama. "Go back to sleep, kitsune..."  
  
The redhead returned the smile, then closed his eyes again. He was asleep instantly, his chest rising and falling gently under Chitsuko's palm.   
  
Glancing towards the open window, the girl murmured, "Hiei, you can come out now."  
  
Sure enough, the little youkai was perched on the windowsill, his ruby red eyes flickering in the dark.  
  
"I appreciate you coming to check on me."  
  
"I figured Gouka would try to pull off something like this. He knew you couldn't be bought." Hiei looked off to the side. "I wonder why he even bothered coming."  
  
Chitsuko sighed. "Come inside, Hiei. It's rather cold tonight. There's room for you here..." She patted the blankets at the foot of the bed.  
  
The Jaganshi shook his head. "No thanks. I see that you and Kurama are busy..."  
  
"Oh!" Chitsuko squeaked, a strong red blush rising in her cheeks. "Hiei, it's not what it looks like. We didn't do anything..."  
  
The youkai smiled ruefully. "Sure. Whatever you say, kokitsune."  
  
Chitsuko sighed again. "Hiei..." she groaned softly.  
  
"I will see you two tomorrow, when we finally fight this monster." Hiei shot one last glance in the girl's direction, then sprang off the windowsill and out of site.  
  
"Hiei," Chitsuko whispered to the air around her as she lay down next to Kurama. She closed her eyes, and lost herself in a torturous sleep plagued with nightmares.  
  
* * * * *  
  
When she awoke again, dazzling sunlight was streaming through the window and Kurama was shaking her gently.  
  
"Chitsuko-chan? What's wrong? You were crying..."  
  
The girl reached up to rub her eyes, and sure enough they were wet.  
  
"I just had a nightmare... that's all."  
  
Kurama looked at her thoughtfully, his gaze tender, then leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I understand. You'll be alright."  
  
Kurama sat up, pulling Chitsuko with him, then slid off the bed and crossed to the open window. Shaking his head in confusion, he slid it shut. "I thought this was closed when we went to bed last night..."  
  
Chitsuko shrugged. She didn't know exactly how to put in words what had happened the night before while he slept soundly and unaware. She got to her feet and stretched her arms above her head, a long yawn escaping her throat. Rubbing her dampened eyes once more, she trudged towards the bedroom doorway, then stopped.  
  
The full impact of what lay in store for her and the others finally hit her.  
  
She grasped the doorframe, her nails marking the smooth wood. She closed her eyes and drew a shaky gasp as her heart began to pound and her stomach churned with anxiety and fear.  
  
"Kurama..." Her voice was a hoarse whisper.  
  
At once the youko's arm were around her waist from behind, rocking her gently in an attempt to quell her fears.  
  
"I know what he has done to you, what he has threatened... I know you're afraid," he murmured into her ear, closing his eyes and sighing inwardly. "I think we all are..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Yusuke sat cross-legged on the futon in his room, his soft brown eyes closed and his head bowed. He took slow, steady breaths as he prepared himself inwardly for the day ahead of him.   
  
On the floor beside the bed, Kuwabara clasped his hands together in a silent prayer for the safety of his friends and the world around him. He knew that their fate lay in the Reiki Tantei's hands...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Keiko turned over onto her side and pulled the covers above her head. Hot, silent tears streamed down her cheeks as she thought of Yusuke and the other running into battle against a demon powerful enough to escape from Hell. She couldn't bear the thought of losing any of them, much less Yusuke... again...  
  
* * * * *  
  
In Reikai, Koenma and Botan stared solemnly at the video screen. They had seen Gouka approach Chitsuko in the night, offering her to escape the upcoming battle free from harm. But she had declined his dark offer, just another one of the many little sacrifices she had given to ensure her friends' safety.   
  
Koenma shook his head. "Sometimes I don't understand that girl..."  
  
Botan shot him a sideways glance. "You understood she was pretty and that seemed to be enough for you."  
  
The toddler blushed. "Now now, Botan, now's not the time for that! Our best group of Spirit Detectives are about to fight in a living Hell... Literally..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mayaka Kawaii looked at her reflection in the mirror and hated it.  
  
Running her fingers across the smooth surface of the glass, she sighed. This was not the person she wanted to be, this was not the life she wanted to live... Always putting on an act for the world around her, always caring so much about what other people thought... She couldn't stand not being the center of attention, but that was only because she wanted to be loved... Afraid of what the world would really think of her, she had tried too hard to fit in, only to become a prisoner within her own body. How could she have let this happen?  
  
Funny, how all these thoughts came to her when she was mere hours away from the most frightening and life-altering battle the universe would ever see...  
  
But it didn't matter anymore. Today was a day that she would never forget...  
  
...If she survived to remember it.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hiei stood in a tall tree, leaning against the trunk with his hand on the hilt of his katana. A cool spring breeze ruffled his hair and cloak as he stood motionless, his ruby red eyes fixed on the park a few blocks away. After a moment his gaze shifted to the Minamino house just through a clump of trees, and felt a pang of some unfamiliar emotion strike his youkai heart. He knew that Chitsuko had been given the option not to fight, to get away in one piece... But she had refused, once again putting the safety of her friends in front of her own...  
  
And for the first time since Yukina's captivity, Hiei was worried.  
  
How far would she go to protect them?  
  
* * * * *  
  
The day passed unnaturally slowly. Everyone went to school as usual; Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, and the disguised Botan went off to Sarasaki High, while Kurama, Chitsuko, and Mayaka spent their day at Meiou High. Hiei took up his position in the trees outside of Meiou High, keeping three watchful eyes trained on the school.  
  
By far, the situation at Meiou High was worse.  
  
Shigo was ignoring them now, making a show of talking to other people when they were around. To Kurama, Chitsuko, and Mayaka, the more he spent time in Ningenkai, the more he began to act like a typical teenager.  
  
But it meant nothing. They knew the truth.  
  
And much to Kurama and Chitsuko's surprise, Karasu was gone.  
  
They had walked into writing class, expecting the usual longing stare from Mr. Bakudan. But instead of being greeted by his warm, mysterious smile, their original writing teacher, Miss Chiba, was there to welcome them with a crooked smiled on her pudgey face.  
  
"It's so nice to see you all again!" she said cheerfully as her students settled into their seats. "I am so sorry I have been away so long! I was frightening ill for a while; I can't even remember my sickness! It was all like one big blackout to me..." She shrugged and clapped her hand together jovially. "Anyway, I'm glad to be back. Now let's get to work!"  
  
Chitsuko and Kurama did not join in the class's unified groan. Instead they exchanged a look of supressed worry and surprise.   
  
Where was Karasu?  
  
* * * * *  
  
It was eight o'clock sharp.  
  
Gouka stood in the deserted park, leaning against an old tree, his arms crossed over his chest. His deep, dark brown eyes were fixed on the horizon, where the last whisps of red sunlight were evaporating. The moon rose behind him, a full, bright circle of white on a sea of black velvet. All the demon could think about was the prize that awaited him once this battle was over, the ultimate prize...  
  
Ultimate power.  
  
Screw being nice about it. He was going to kill Hanyou Kohana and take her blood and dead spirit energy, adding it to his current collection. He absentminded patted his left pocket, a sly smirk on his lips. Something within the pocket squirmed and wriggling, try to get free.  
  
"Now now, Mayaka..." he said softly. "You, you sweet little soul, need to stay put. I can't absorb you until your body is dead." He laughed coldly and cruelly.  
  
Several shadows appeared on the horizon, approaching Gouka from the other side of the park. His smile broadened into a wicked grin.  
  
They had come.  
  
They were walking in a straight line, shoulder to shoulder: Yusuke Urameshi, Reikai's current and most talented Spirit Detective; Kazuma Kuwabara, a ningen with exception spirit awareness and the ability to materialize his spirit energy into a weapon; Jaganshi Hiei, the cut throat youkai who possessed the Jagan Eye and the ability to call upon a deadly dragon for aid; Youko Kurama, the fabled kitsune theif who was known throughout the realms and had been thought dead by everyone up until about a year ago; Jin and Touya, the Shinobi masters of Wind and Ice, innocent-looking, yet deadly; Mayaka Kawaii, a ningen who had unknowingly exchanged her soul for power and control of her spirit energy; and finally, Hanyou Kohana in her ningen form, the infamous half-breed with an untapped power that no one could explain.  
  
The friends continued to walk towards Gouka, their faces set and emotionless.   
  
Botan, Keiko, and Shizuru had stayed behind, against their will, on the boys' orders. They were only innocent bystanders, and would only get hurt if they accompanied them into battle. Nobody wanted to risk it.  
  
They finally stopped several feet from Gouka. The renegade demon stood up straight and nodded, acknowledging them, dropping his arms to his sides.  
  
Not one of them nodded back to him, but continued their cold stare.  
  
"Now..." Yusuke said slowly. "We fight."  
  
Gouka nodded again, his armor shining in the moonlight. "Very well."  
  
All at once Gouka was firing spheres of black spirit energy at everyone. They did their best to block the attacks, calling upon their own energy to form barriers and shields.  
  
Chitsuko reached back into her hair and pulled out the white rose Kurama had given them on their first date. It was still in full bloom and white as snow. Raising it above her head, the girl felt the rose morphing into a long, thorny whip, identical to Kurama's. With a smirk she lashed out at Gouka with it and yelled, "ROSE WHIP!"  
  
The whip struck the rogue's armor, denting it and cracking it in several places. But it wasn't enough to penetrate it. Frustrated, Chitsuko lashed out again, just as Jin ran past her with a minature tornado whirling around his fist.  
  
Jin slammed into Gouka, which seemed to hurt the attacker more than the victim. Jin bounced back off of Gouka's armor and flew several yards backwards through the air. Touya, angered on Jin's behalf, raised his hand to his mouth. Small orbs of ice-blue light had formed over his palm, and now he blew them at Gouka. The shards of ice stabbed into Gouka's armor, but once again did not touch the demon's flesh.   
  
Gouka laughed. "Is this all you've got?"  
  
"No!" Kuwabara and Hiei both ran at Gouka at the same time, Spirit Sword and katana drawn. But while Hiei's katana was stopped by the armor, much to his displeasure, Kuwabara's sword slipped through a crack previously made by Chitsuko's whip. The Spirit Sword stabbed into Gouka's stomach, causing him to moan in pain and lash out at Kuwabara.  
  
The orange-haired boy was knocked backwards as Gouka's heavily armored arm made contact with his face. Kuwabara lay there, sprawled on the ground, blood pouring from his nose and a cut on his left cheek.  
  
"Kuwabara!" Chitsuko ran to Kuwabara's side as Touya helped Jin to his feet and Kurama pulled out his own Rose Whip. Kurama sprang at Gouka, his whip whirling and cracking in every direction, just as Gouka released another shower of black spheres.  
  
A sphere struck Kurama in the side as he dodged, causing him to cry out in pain. He stumbled, struggling to compose himself, as he raised his whip again.  
  
"ROSE WHIP!"  
  
This time the whip slashed Gouka across the face, causing black blood to spray Kurama's hands and arms, burning his tender skin. The youko bit back another cry as he lashed out again at Gouka, who was clawing his face and yelling with confusion. The whip cut across the rogue's face one last time before Kurama darted off of to the side, collapsing onto his knees beside Kuwabara and Chitsuko.  
  
"Kurama!" Chitsuko cried as she saw the burn marks decorating the redhead's arms and hands. But the youko shook his head.  
  
"I'll be fine..."  
  
"SPIRIT WAVE!"  
  
Yusuke had ran up to Gouka and fired a point-blank shot into the demon's face. There was an small explosion, black smoke issuing from Gouka as the blue light of Yusuke's spirit energy lit up the park. The Spirit Detective scrambled backwards, nearly bumping into Mayaka, who was still standing where she had stopped, slightly afraid to fight.  
  
Everyone held their breath. Had Gouka's body finally been destroyed?  
  
The smoke began to thin, and Gouka's outline was visible through the black mist. He stepped forth, only to reveal that his head was completely intact, with the exception of the gash's left by Kurama's Rose Whip.  
  
Gouka laughed maniacally. "You honestly think you could fight me and WIN?"  
  
With a low growl Mayaka ran forward, a ball of lime-green spirit energy in her hands. She skidded to a halt and threw it at Gouka. The ball struck him in the chest, make a dent in his armor but not phasing him in the least.  
  
"Ah, Mayaka..." he said with a cold smile. "I knew you'd turn against me... in the end."  
  
Mayaka's honey-colored eyes narrowed and his hands tightened into fists. She was panting from the effort of using her spirit energy.  
  
"I know what you're after," Gouka continued. "But it's too late now." He held his hand out towards the girl, his palm facing her. A ball of black energy was collecting there. "Your soul is mine..."  
  
"Her soul!" Kuwabara said weakly.  
  
"What?" Kurama and Chitsuko said in unison as they looked down at their mauled friend.  
  
"Her soul..." He pointed shakily towards Gouka. "In his pocket, her soul..."  
  
"You've gotta be kidding me..." Chitsuko said quietly as she squinted at Gouka, trying to see for herself.  
  
"It's there. Just get it," Kuwabara groaned impatiently.  
  
"Alright..." Chitsuko looked over at Kurama. "But I'm going to need a distraction."  
  
Kurama's emerald eyes widened. "Chitsuko-chan..."  
  
"Don't Chitsuko-chan me now!" the girl hissed, jumping to her feet. "Signal the others, distract him, do something!" And without another word Chitsuko darted forward into the crossfire of spirit energy.  
  
"That's some girl..." Kuwabara chuckled softly.  
  
Yusuke had begun firing his Spirit Gun continuously, trying to keep Gouka from squeezing in a counter attack. Mayaka was hurling orbs of her spirit energy at the rogue while Touya and Jin threw all of their ice and wind powers into the mix. Kurama slipped behind all of them and came across Hiei, his headband off and his Jagan radiating with bright violet light. Kurama grabbed the youkai's arm and spun him around to face him.  
  
"Kurama, what the hell are you...?"  
  
"Chitsuko's retrieving Mayaka's soul."  
  
"...WHAT?!"  
  
"Shh! She needs a distraction, but..."  
  
A sudden explosion in front of him caused the Reiki Tantei's fire to cease. They heard Gouka scream in rage as smoke once again choked the air around them.  
  
"Damn you!" they heard Gouka shout. "DAMN YOU, KARASU!"  
  
The Reiki Tantei turned around to see Karasu, standing with his hand reaching out towards Gouka, a determined look on his face.  
  
"This isn't your fight, Karasu!" Gouka yelled.  
  
"Yes it is." Karasu took slow, steady steps forward towards Gouka, his hand still extended in front of him. "It is my fault for not stoping you earlier, Gouka. It is as much my battle as it is theirs..." He motioned to the Reiki Tantei with his other hand.  
  
Yusuke, Kuwabara, Jin, and Touya kept motionless, their mouths open, their eyes wide in shock and fear.  
  
"IT'S HIM!" Kuwabara shouted.  
  
"Mr. Bakudan?" Mayaka said, blinking rapidly and giving her ex-substitute teacher a quizzical look.  
  
"'Mr. Bakudan'?" Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "What..."  
  
"He was out substitute teacher for a while," Kurama said calmly.  
  
"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?!" Yusuke was adamant.  
  
"Yusuke, please..."  
  
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, KURAMA?"  
  
"You must understand Yusuke, he came to help us..."  
  
"The fox is right," Karasu said, stopping in front of the Reiki Tantei. "I came here to warn him... and help if I must." His amethyst gaze drifted back towards Gouka. "I came here to protect Kohana."  
  
Jin blinked. "Chit-chan? What be you a-wantin' with her?"  
  
Karasu did not answer.  
  
"No matter!" Gouka, taking advantage of the lull in battle, formed another ball of his spirit energy. This one, however, was crackling with white electricity. The bolts darted around Gouka's body, the demon grinning wickedly as he called up his deadliest power.  
  
"HYAAA!" Out of nowhere, with a high-pitched cry, Chitsuko flung herself onto Gouka's back, grabbing his wrist and forcing his next attack to be shot upwards and into the dark sky, making it an utter waste. With a yell of fury Gouka grabbed at Chitsuko, but the girl shifted her position on his back and slid over his shoulder, her hand diving into his left pocket.  
  
"Naughty little fox!" Gouka shouted with another maniacal laugh as he yanked the girl off of him by her leg. As she was hoisted into the air, her arm was pulled from the demon's pocket, a small cloud of transparent white mist clutched tightly in her hand.  
  
"That's the soul!" Kuwabara shouted from his position on the ground.  
  
Chitsuko held out her hand towards Mayaka. "I've got it!" she cried, the blood rushing to her head as Gouka held her upside down. "Take it! Quick!"  
  
Mayaka, her mind fogged with dizziness from using so much of her spirit energy, held out her hands. "Chitsuko-chan!" she asked weakly, her eyes shining with unshed tears.  
  
"Don't worry about me, JUST TAKE IT!" Chitsuko released the white cloud, and it raced towards Mayaka.  
  
"NO!" Gouka screamed, dropping Chitsuko who nearly fell on her head. The girl flipped backwards in mid air and landed on her knees. She pushed herself up and dashed towards Mayaka just as Gouka released another crackling ball of white lightning and black spirit energy at the girl running away from him...  
  
It all happened so fast, no one saw it coming...  
  
Mayaka's soul pushed its way back into her body, giving the girl a surge of energy. She radiated with the lime-green glow as she glared at Gouka. She raised her hands and fired a large wave of her spirit energy at Gouka. The energy hit Gouka's own attack and knocked it off course, sending it straight for Kurama...  
  
"KURAMA!" Chitsuko yelled, dashing through the torrent of black and white energy to get to her him before it was too late...  
  
Kurama, caught off guard, whirled around just as the dazzling lights of the orb of Gouka's spirit energy flashed in his wide emerald eyes...  
  
But it never hit him.  
  
A tall figure threw itself in front of Kurama, and the sphere of black light exploded upon impact. The body fell onto its knees, white electricity crackling around it as it groaned in agony and pain...  
  
"KARASU!"  
  
Behind her, Mayaka collasped and lay motionless on the ground. Chitsuko paid no heed to her as she ran towards Karasu's figure, doubled over in pain on the ground. Behind him, Kurama had fallen, and was now crawling on his hands and knees towards the crow.  
  
"Karasu!" Chitsuko reached out for him, but Karasu swatted her away and moved back.  
  
"Don't touch me... You'll...get it too..."  
  
"What... WHAT?!" She whirled on Gouka. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" Her voice was overly loud, cracking with anger and panic.  
  
Gouka chuckled, and a violet, angry shiver ran down Chitsuko's spin. "My specialty..."  
  
The Reiki Tantei, numb with shock, watched Karasu and Chitsuko as Gouka relaxed his posture and crossed his arms over his armored chest.  
  
"No... NO! KARASU!" Chitsuko reached out again, but Karasu shot her a death glare.  
  
"Stay away!"  
  
"I'M SORRY!" she sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry..." Hot tears streamed down the girl's cheeks. She lunged for Karasu again, but Jin and Touya grabbed hold of her on either side and held fast. "NO!" She struggled against the grip of the Shinobi, kicking and squirming, fighting to reach Karasu's side. "NO! KARASU!"  
  
Karasu smiled weakly. His body had begun to fade, and tiny twinkling lights, almost like stars, had begun to appear around him. There was no whisp of white around him to indicate his soul was leaving him. And since he had no body to begin with, the one he had created for himself was dissolving as well.  
  
The crow looked up at the girl as she screamed his name again, and their eyes locked one last time. The girl held her breath..  
  
"I promised I would protect you..."  
  
"NOOOOOOOO! KARASU!" Chitsuko broke away from Touya and Jin and reached out her arms to embrace him, just as Karasu faded away, leaving behind a cloud of twinkling lights. Chitsuko fell to her knees in the midst of the lights, her arms wrapping around nothing. She hugged herself tightly and bowed her head, squeezing her eyes shut to ebb the flow of tears that cascaded down her cheeks. They hit the ground where Karasu had been like a soft rain.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you..."  
  
Gouka's snickering only fueled her anger. She turned her head slowly to look at him, and the renegade demon, along with the rest of the Reiki Tantei, recoiled in surprise.  
  
The girl's stormy blue-gray eyes were glowing a bright gold, cold silver flashing within the light. Slowly, she got to her feet, her hands clenched into fists as her sides.   
  
Behind her, Hiei had helped Kurama to his feet. The two were now bathed in the glow of her golden spirit energy, which was now radiating from her body like gold fire.  
  
"Yes, that's right, blow up this entire park just to get back at me for killing your friend..." Gouka said lethargically. "Wait, I didn't kill him... I erased him from total existence. If it's death you're worried about, you might want to check on your friend here..." He pointed to Mayaka.  
  
"What?" Chitsuko's eyes ceased their glow and she ran to Mayaka's sid. She felt for a pulse.  
  
There was none.  
  
"Stupid bitch used her life energy to attack me." Gouka sighed as though he were bored. "But where she's going they won't mind the bitch part..."  
  
Chitsuko's eyes widened.  
  
"YOU CAN'T SEND HER TO HELL!"  
  
"I had control of her soul, I could do anything I want with it! She will be taking my place in Hell." He grinned.   
  
"You... bastard..." the girl breathed.  
  
"YUSUKE!"  
  
Botan was flying over the grass on her oar towards the group. "YUSUKE!" she called again. "KOENMA'S GOT NEWS ABOUT KARASU! HE'S..."  
  
"HE'S GONE, BOTAN," Chitsuko yelled at the blue-haired deity, whirling around to face her as she approached. "HE'S GONE, WHIPED FROM EXISTENCE."  
  
Botan stopped beside Yusuke and hopped off her oar. "Chitsuko-chan..." she said softly. "You're in a lot of trouble with Reikai and King Enma, you know..." Botan looked nervous.  
  
Chitsuko blinked. "WHY?!"  
  
"Well," Botan said sheepishly. "You hid the whereabouts of a dangerous demon..." She turned to Kurama. "And you too, Kurama..."  
  
Kurama looked down. "I expected as much."  
  
"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a Spirit World to overthrow..." Gouka turned as if to leave, then paused, turning back to look at the Reiki Tantei standing motionless behind him. "While I'm down there, I might as well absorb Mayaka's soul. Any amount of spirit energy I can get is a help..." And in a burst of black light he disappeared.  
  
"NO!" Chitsuko looked around frantically. "You guys, look after Mayaka's body. Keep it safe!" Her eyes finally rested on Botan's oar. The golden-haired girl ran forward and yanked it out of Botan's grasp, nearly knocking the ferrygirl over.  
  
"Chitsuko-chan! What are you doing?"  
  
"Screw Reikai! Screw King Enma!" Chitsuko swung her leg over the oar and kicked off the ground. Immediately she was in the air, hovering higher and higher above the ground. The height did not bother her now; she was too angry to care. "I'm going after Gouka!"  
  
"But Chitsuko...!" Kurama cried.  
  
Chitsuko didn't answer as she sped away out of sight on Botan's oar, disappearing with a twinkle of light.  
  
"She's going to be in so much trouble for this..." Botan ticked Chitsuko's offenses off on her fingers. "She hid the whereabouts of Karasu, she stole Reikai property..." When Yusuke looked at her funny she added, "My oar is only to be used by authorized Spirit World personel! And as I was saying, now she's headed off to Hell while she's still living! AND she just insulted King Enma!"  
  
"Damn..." Yusuke scratched the back of his head. "She's worse than me..."  
  
"I'll go after her!" Jin said suddenly. He flew upwards and disappeared after Chitsuko.  
  
"We have to follow her..." Kurama said, staring after Jin. "We have to stand by her..." 


	15. Chapter 14 Hell

Phew. That one was a doozy. Let us all take a moment to pray for Karasu.... ........................................................ Alright. My typing program actually gave me an error while I writing this 5286-word chapter: "This document is too large to accept any more text." Heh heh... ^^;;  
  
And now on to the final battle of Deliverance.  
  
NOTE: The use of Hiei and Chitsuko's Sword of Piercing Darkness attack was requested by Pippin15. For those of you who don't remember, in saga 1, Kokitsune, Hiei and Chitsuko destroyed a rather powerful minion of Kai's by combining their spirit energy and gathering it into Hiei's sword. This is the same attack, now with a name! ^^ (Thank Pippin15 for it. ;D )  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 14: Hell  
  
Chitsuko was speeding away as fast as the oar could carry her. Silently she apologized to Botan and prayed she would forgive her when she got back...  
  
...If she got back.  
  
But she forgot about this the first of many problems surfaced.  
  
How did she get to Hell?  
  
Stopping in midair, Chitsuko looked down and gulped. She was several miles off the ground, above an unfamiliar landscape. Glancing around her, all she could see was a seemingly endless stretch of clouds. She shivered, then looked down at her clothing, a pair of blue pants and a red tank top, and wished she had thought to wear something a little warmer.  
  
But then again, she hadn't known she would end up in this position.  
  
"Chitsuko!" a distant, familiar voice cried.  
  
Chitsuko turned around on the oar to see a very panicked and dirty Wind Master flying towards her at breakneck speed. "Chitsuko!" he called again, skidding to a halt in the air about a foot away from the girl on the oar. "Chitsuko, what the hell do you think you're doin'?"  
  
"I'm saving my friend," Chitsuko said tartly.  
  
"I know that, but you can't just go runnin' off like that!" The Wind Master snapped his fingers to illustrate his words. "What if that Gouka guy got you?"  
  
"He can't get me, he wouldn't hurt me."  
  
"Oh, now..." Jin crossed his arms over his chest and assumed an Indian-style position as he floated in front of her. "Aren't we the big talker?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Naw, you shut up!" Jin shot back.  
  
Chitsuko narrowed her eyes at him, then gave up her defense and sighed. "Mayaka's dead because of me. Gouka stole her soul because..."  
  
"You can't go blamin' yourself for every bad thing that happens!" Jin exasperated, cut her off. "What kind of life is that? Goin' around, feelin' bad 'cause ya think everyone else's demise is on account a' you! That's not the way to be!" Jin leaned in towards her. "You ever stop to think that while you're out savin' yer pals, they're out savin' you?"  
  
Chitsuko blinked, taken aback. She had never thought of it that way...  
  
"Jin..."  
  
"Now listen up," he said, interrupting her again. "We're goin' to beat down this Gouka, and then we're all goin' out for some of that ningen stuff that's all cold and sweet-like... What's that Hiei calls it? 'Sweet snow'?"  
  
The girl giggled. "Jin..."  
  
But the good mood was only temporary. Seemingly from behind her, two strong, muscular arms, clad in glittering silver armor, wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her backwards off the oar.  
  
"JIN!" Chitsuko reached out for the Shinobi, who extended his arms to grab her.  
  
"CHITSUKO!"  
  
Before the Wind Master could pulled her away from her captor, a ghastly heat crept up Chitsuko's body, and an excruciating pain seared across her skull. With a cry the strength was drained from her body, and she found herself drowning in complete darkness...  
  
* * * * *  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, RAN OFF TO HELL?" Koenma, in his toddler form, jumped onto his desk, his pacifier nearly flying from his mouth as he screamed. "WHY DIDN'T ANY OF YOU STOP HER?"  
  
Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, Botan, and Touya all stood before Koenma in Reikai, bruised, scratched, and dirty.  
  
"She stole my oar!" Botan pouted.  
  
"Well that's the least of our problems!" Yusuke shot an annoyed glance at Botan. "Chitsuko's in Hell. H-E-L-L. And she's fighting Gouka on her own!"  
  
"I don't care whether you all follow me or not, but I'm going down there..." Hiei turned on his heel and sped out of the room before anyone could object.  
  
"Jin went after her, Koenma-sama..." Touya said quickly. "Surely he would have stopped her..."  
  
On cue, Jin burst into Koenma's office, out of breath and looking panicked, Botan's abandoned oar clutched in one shaking hand.  
  
"Jin?" Touya asked his fellow Shinobi as he turned to him.  
  
"He...got her!" Jin panted as he handed the oar over to Botan. "He got her! Took her....right out of the air... Dragged her... down there! Gotta...go save her!"  
  
"DAMNIT!" Yusuke yelled.  
  
Quite suddenly, Kurama dashed out of the room, nearly knocking Jin over as he ran past him. Everyone looked after him, and the Wind Master whistled.  
  
"Fancies her, don't he?"  
  
"More that that..." Kuwabara said quietly as the group, minus Botan, followed Kurama out of Reikai.  
  
Koenma sighed and shook his head. "Chitsuko faces serious punishment... if she returns alive. I just know my father is going to find out once he gets back..."  
  
"But Koenma-sama... Can't she be pardoned? Her acts are selfless, and she's risking her own life to save that girl! Much less everyone else..."  
  
"I don't know, Botan..." Koenma said quietly. "What did you do with that girl's body, anyhow?"  
  
"It's at Keiko's house. Her and Shizuru are looking after it until Chitsuko returns with the girl's soul..." The ferrygirl looked down and added forlornly, "Hopefully..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
When Chitsuko awoke, it was hot. Deathly hot. Without opening her eyes she raised her hand to wipe the sweat off her forehead. Pushing her bangs back out of her eyes, she finally opened them and looked around.  
  
She was laying on her side in front of a massive stone gate. A statue of a black gargoyle was posied on the archway above the gate. On either side of the massive doors, an endless wall of stone was piled high, higher than even the doors themselves. The top of the wall was charred black, as though tongues of fire has licked the stone there.  
  
At one Chitsuko knew where she was.  
  
Pulling herself into a sitting position, she tilted her head back to look at the Gates of Hell. There were even more terrifying in real life than they had seemed on Koenma's video screen. Cautiously, she crawled on her hands and knees towards the doors and reached out one hand to towards them, as if to take hold of them...  
  
"Chitsuko?"  
  
The voice sounded weak and frail, and seemed to come directly from the other side of the doors.  
  
"Mayaka!" Chitsuko jumped to her feet and ran the remaining distance to the Gate, pressing her palms against it. No sooner had she done so, she yelled in pain and recoiled her hands. The doors were scalding hot and burned her skin worse than Gouka's blood...  
  
Where was Gouka?  
  
As if to answer her thoughts, a chuckle was heard behind her. Slowly Chitsuko turned around and came face to face with her enemy once again.  
  
"I knew you would follow me."  
  
"Screw you. Give Mayaka back."  
  
Gouka laughed again, but this time the girl was too anger to be affected by it. She ran at Gouka, summoning her spirit energy into her index finger.  
  
"SPIRIT..."  
  
Chitsuko was knocked backwards by a blast of black spirit energy. She slammed into the Gates, causing them to grind open a crack. The girl slid to the ground, the back of her head throbbing painfully. Reaching back to rub it, she discovered that her hair was wet with blood.  
  
"Not so tough now, are you?" Gouka sniggered. "Now that your little friends aren't here, you're completely defenseless... You don't even know how to use your own power! And you know what? I bet they don't even care about you!"  
  
"That... that's not true!" Chitsuko shouted as the unbearable heat began to take its toll on her. "No, no... They do care, they do..."  
  
"Then where are they?"  
  
"Right here!"  
  
There was a clang of metal against metal as Hiei's sword stabbed through a hole in Gouka's armor. The demon cried out in pain and flung Hiei off of his back. The youkai skidded to a halt and sprang back onto his feet, running at Gouka for a second attack.  
  
"SPIRIT WAVE!"  
  
"SPIRIT SWORD!"  
  
Yusuke and Kuwabara ran at Gouka, their attack melding together and skewering the demon on the point of Kuwabara's sword. Touya, close behind them, summoned a handful of ice shards and blew them at Gouka. One stabbed the demon in the eye, and he frantically tried to claw it out as a blast of wind from Jin's whirlwind knocked him off balance.  
  
"Yes!"   
  
"It's not over yet..."  
  
Kurama was beside her, his arms wrapped around her tightly. "Don't ever do that again."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You had me worried. You're so reckless..."  
  
"Get used to it."  
  
Kurama pulled away from Chitsuko slightly, looking confused. The girl simply smiled back at him and got to her feet, watching the Reiki Tantei and Shinobi maul Gouka.  
  
But their dominance was short lived. Gouka's hand shot a shower of black energy balls at the group, driving them back towards the Gates. He began to laugh maniacally as they all screamed in pain, his spirit energy burning their skin.  
  
"Chitsuko..."  
  
Mayaka voice seeped through the crack between the doors, faint and monotone.  
  
"Mayaka! Hang in there, I'm getting you out..."  
  
"Don't hurt yourself..."  
  
"I'd rather see you live, Mayaka... No matter how mean you were to me at first... I know you're a wonderful person under all of that, and I'm willing to save that person..."  
  
Chitsuko turned to look at Gouka, a wry smile on her face. "Is that all you've got?" she called.  
  
"Chitsuko!" Yusuke looked at her, shocked.  
  
"The lass's gone nuts!" Jin cried.  
  
"Never did know when to give up..." Gouka sent another torrent of spirit energy spheres at the Gates, the balls pelting towards the Reiki Tantei...  
  
"EVERYONE! DUCK!"  
  
On command from Chitsuko, everyone flung themseleves flat on the ground, the onslaught of spirit energy pushed the Gates open a crack more, enough for a small, whispy cloud of white to seep through...  
  
"Mayaka..." Chitsuko smiled weakly as she reached up at took hold on her friend's soul, tucking it safely away in her pocket. "You'll be safe now. I'll bring you home..."  
  
"I have a plan!" Touya shouted to his companions as the black spheres continue to pelt the Gates above their heads. "We need to dissolve his soul, right? We need to destroy his body, then take care of his soul. First we have to engulf him with our spirit energy, and then force it into his soul so it breaks apart."  
  
"But what if he soul gets away?" Kuwabara asked.  
  
"We need to engulf his body and someone get our spirit energy inside of him at the same time. That way we can destroy him from the inside out!" Kurama said.   
  
"You guys take care of his body," Chitsuko said. She reached over and grasped Hiei by the wrist. "Me and Hiei will take care of the breaking-and-entering part."  
  
"What?" Hiei seemed both confused and startled.  
  
"Just follow my lead..." she whispered as the Reiki Tantei and Shinobi began to form a circle around Gouka, who continued to shower them with balls of spirit energy that they labored to dodge.   
  
"I don't follow anyone's lead," the youkai snorted.  
  
"Well you'll follow mine or I'll beat you over the head with your own sword, you sarcastic little midget."  
  
Hiei stared at Chitsuko for a long moment before his face broke out into a small smile.  
  
Hiei and Chitsuko positioned themselves next to each other behind Gouka's back, keeping a good distance between them and the renegade. The others had moved into position, and we awaiting the signal from Touya.  
  
"Foolish ningens, and you demons who have come to love them!" Gouka snarled. "This will be the end of you, and the beginning of my leadership!" A ball of black energy, crackling with white electricity, had begun to form in his outstretched hands...  
  
"NOW!" Touya yelled.  
  
Magenta, blue, orange, icy blue, and red spirit energy flooded around them, melding into one large mass and surrounding Gouka, who was plainly shocked by this sudden attack.  
  
"Now!" Chitsuko hissed in Hiei's ear. The youkai drew his sword and the two of them dashed towards Gouka. The girl reached out and took the handle of Hiei's sword, her fingers entwining with his as they both gripped it tightly...  
  
Gouka heard their running footsteps and turned around, releasing the sphere of soul-dissolving spirit energy directly at them.  
  
In one swift, faster-than-light moment, Hiei hoisted Chitsuko on his back and leapt into the air. The two of them plummeted downwards towards Gouka, the tip of Hiei's sword glinting.  
  
"Spirit energy..." Chitsuko whispered.  
  
"Right..." Hiei answered.  
  
"SWORD OF PIERCING DARKNESS!"  
  
The katana was wrapped in gold and black fire. Hiei's Jagan gave off it's electric violet glow. Chitsuko's eyes burned with golden light as they drove the sword through the top of Gouka's skull.  
  
There was a loud yell, and then the body beneath them exploded. Fragments of silver armor shot in all direction, one of them slicing Chitsuko across the cheek. A rainbow of spirit energy attacked the whisp of white smoke that escaped as Gouka's body disintegrated to ash. Chitsuko could feel herself pouring all the energy she possessed into this attack, causing the flames around Hiei's sword to grow brighter. And then the soul of Gouka was utterly destroyed as the fire born from the Jaganshi and the kitsune's spirit energy seared through it and evaporated it into nothing...  
  
Chitsuko and Hiei fell to the ground, the kitsune crumpled on top of the Jaganshi. She could hear her name being called from far away, and she felt warm hands take her up into strong arms before she sighed and left the world behind her... 


	16. Chapter 15 Chitsuko's Punishment

Chapter 15: Chitsuko's Punishment  
  
Chitsuko was floating in a sea of clouds. She glanced around her nervously.  
  
"Kurama?" She called. "Yusuke? Kuwabara? Jin? Touya?" She sighed. "Hiei? Where are you guys?"  
  
"They've returned to Ningenkai by now," a warm, familiar voice said.  
  
Chitsuko turned around and looked into the soft eyes of Kenji Ichihara.  
  
"Dad! I mean, Kenji..." The girl had run forward to embrace the man, but then stopped short. She rubbed her arm sheepishly. "Kenji, I'm sorry..."  
  
Kenji smiled. "You don't need to be sorry. I always knew there was something unusual about you..." He spoke matter-of-factly, as though he were explaining the answer to a math equation.  
  
"But I deceieved you, for all these years..."  
  
"You didn't know any better than I did. I'm just glad you're alright..."  
  
Chitsuko blinked, then looked around once more. "Wait a minute... Oh Kami, am I DEAD?!"  
  
"No, no!" Kenji laughing, waving at her to calm down. "I just borrowed you for a moment. The ruler over to Reikai said I could talk to you while you were in this state..."  
  
"'This state'?"  
  
"Your body is in a coma right now."  
  
"Oh. Wait a minute, you know about Reikai?"  
  
Kenji nodded. "Everyone who's dead knows about Reikai."  
  
"Oh," Chitsuko said again. She dropped her gaze for a moment, then said quietly, "Kenji?"  
  
"Yes, Kohana?"  
  
"...I miss you."  
  
"I miss you too."  
  
Tears in her stormy eyes, Chitsuko ran forward into her ningen father's arms. He stroked the top of her head and planted a warm kiss there, hugging her tightly to him.  
  
"No matter what you or anyone else may think, even though your spirit has come from another time and place... you will always be my little girl."  
  
"I know," Chitsuko replied. "I love you, Dad."  
  
"I love you too, Chit-chan..."  
  
"Kenji?" a soft female voice said from behind them.  
  
Kenji let go of Chitsuko. Both of them turned to face a pretty young woman with short-cut black hair and amber-colored eyes that sparkled as they rested on Chitsuko.  
  
"Oh, Haruka, there you are."  
  
"Haruka?" Chitsuko breathed. "...Mom?"  
  
Haruka Ichihara smiled. "So nice to see you... I've been watching you grow up. You've certainly learned alot in such a short amount of time, haven't you?"  
  
Dumbstruck, Chitsuko nodded.  
  
So this was her ningen mother.  
  
"You're so beautiful... Dad, why didn't you tell me Mom was so pretty?"  
  
Chitsuko's ningen parents both chuckled. Kenji put an arm around his wife and smiled at Chitsuko.  
  
"I..."  
  
"No need to explain yourself, Chit-chan," Haruka said gently. "I found out the moment I set foot in Reikai. They told me everything. I'm just glad I could give you the chance you needed to grow up and live your life..."  
  
"But you lost yours because of me!"  
  
"Now Chitsuko, don't blame yourself," Haruka said sternly. "It's a mother's duty to ensure her children live and live happily. And I have done so."  
  
The tears in Chitsuko's eyes flooded down her cheeks as she ran to her parents and put her arms around them both. "It's so great to see you guys..."  
  
"Yes, I know..." Kenji said lovingly, patting Chitsuko on the back. "But you need to go back now."  
  
"But why?" Chitsuko asked, pulling away. "Why can't I stay here with you?"  
  
"Because it isn't your time yet." Haruka smiled. "Good-bye, Chitsuko-chan..."  
  
Chitsuko vision became blurry as her parents seemed to move away from her. She reached out to them one last time.  
  
"Good-bye, Mom... Good-bye, Dad..."  
  
"Good-bye Chit-chan!" Kenji called after her. "Oh, and stick close to that Kurama boy! He seems to really like you!"  
  
"Dad..." Chitsuko scolded softly as a blinding white light obstructed her vision...  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Look! She's wakin' up!"  
  
Chitsuko opened her eyes slowly, blinking them several times to clear her vision. Suddenly she sat up. "Kenji? Haruka?"  
  
"Who are you talking about?"  
  
Jin and Touya were bending over her, a roll of bandages and a damp cloth in the Ice Master's hands. Chitsuko looked around. She was in Kurama's living room, laying on the couch. Across from her, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, and Botan were hunched over the other couch. Yusuke turned around at the sound of Chitsuko's voice and smiled.  
  
"Good! You're up!"  
  
"We thought we'd lost you." Shizuru, leaning on the wall beside the kitchen door, pushed it open and leaned in, speaking to someone. "Hey Lover Boy, your girlfriend's awake."  
  
Kurama, followed by Hiei, entered the living room, carrying a tray laiden with steaming mugs of tea. His emerald eyes lit up when he saw Chitsuko and he immediately set the tray down on the table, making his way over to Chitsuko and sinking down onto the couch next to her. Without hesitating, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly against his chest.  
  
"We though you'd tapped too far into your life energy, Chitsuko-chan. You had us all worried..."  
  
Chitsuko smiled and nestled herself in Kurama's arms. "I'm fine. Really, I am..."  
  
"Say, Chitsuko?" Botan asked, turning around to face the little fox. "Do you still have that girl's soul?"  
  
"Oh, Kami! I almost forgot!" Wiggling out of Kurama's embrace, Chitsuko reached into her pocket and pulled out the squirming white whisp.  
  
"Good, because she could really use it..." Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, and Botan stepped away from the other couch, where Mayaka lay stone still, her skin white as ash.  
  
Chitsuko kneeled beside the couch and held Mayaka's soul near the girl's mouth. The soul slid out of Chitsuko's grasp and between Mayaka's lips. At once, the color returned to Mayaka's flesh. The fox took up Mayaka's wrist and felt for a pulse again.  
  
It was firm and steady.  
  
The black-haired girl's eyes fluttered open and she blinked slowly at the ceiling as she sat up.  
  
"Mayaka-chan!" Chitsuko hugged the girl tightly, who blinked at her in surprise. "I told you I'd save you..."  
  
Mayaka's honey-colored eyes rested on her friend and she smiled warmly. Encircling her own arms around her friend, she whispered, "Thank you," and bowed her head in reverence and thanks.  
  
"Here, drink this." Hiei thrust a mug filled with a steaming brown liquid into Mayaka's hands. The girl looked at him oddly, then gingerly sipped the hot liquid. Suddenly her eyeslids began to droop and she fell back onto the couch once again. Quickly Hiei took the mug from her hands before it could spill.  
  
"What was that?" Chitsuko looked nervously at the mug in Hiei's hands.  
  
"I mixed a serum that will erase her memory in with her tea," Kurama answered, kneeling down beside Chitsuko. She will sleep for several hours, then wake as if nothing has happened. She will remember nothing."  
  
Chitsuko looked down at the sleeping Mayaka, then closed her eyes and bowed her head in understanding. "I suppose... it's for the better."  
  
Kurama put a hand on the girl's shoulder and squeezed gently.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Bye, Chitsuko-chan! See you tomorrow!"  
  
"Bye, Mayaka-chan!"  
  
Chitsuko waved and watched her friend walk into her house. Once the door had closed behind her, the golden-haired girl set off down the sidewalk again. Glancing up at the clear blue sky, she sighed.  
  
It had been two months since their battle in front of the Gates of Hell, and things were finally back to normal. School would be ending soon, and then she'd have the whole summer to spend with her friends, having fun and just hanging out...  
  
"Hey."  
  
Chitsuko stopped walking and turned to look into Kurama's bright emerald eyes. The kitsune was leaning against a tree, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his schoolbag.   
  
"Hi."  
  
Chitsuko smiled as Kurama joined her. They walked home together, Kurama's arm around Chitsuko's waist.  
  
When they got home, Koenma, in his teenage form, and Botan were waiting for them on the front steps.  
  
Chitsuko's eyes widened. "Koenma-sama! What are you doing here?"  
  
Koenma stood up and bowed to Chitsuko. "Hello Chitsuko-chan, Kurama. Perhaps we should go inside. You may take this better sitting down..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"My punishment, I presume?" Chitsuko asked quietly once the four of them were settled in Kurama's living room. Shiori Minamino had returned from her trip, and was upstairs folding laundry, so the group had to keep their voices down to prevent themselves from being heard.  
  
"Yes." Koenma nodded. "But actually, it's not as terrible as you though. My father has decided to pardon you... on one condition."  
  
"What might that be?" Chitsuko asked, holding her mug in her lap.  
  
"He has assigned you to be Spirit Detective of Makai!" Botan burst out excitedly.  
  
Chitsuko blinked. "What?"  
  
"It's just like Yusuke's job, only you will be operating in the Demon World. We don't know where you'll stay, but I'm sure Jin and Touya can help you find somewhere to live."  
  
"How long will she be there?" Kurama asked.  
  
"We don't know. As long as she has to. As long as my father sees fit..." Koenma looked at Chitsuko and sighed. "Do you accept?"  
  
Chitsuko looked from Botan smiled eagerly, to Koenma studying her intently, to Kurama's solemn face. She knew he would miss her more than anyone, and she would miss him just as much...  
  
But she was obligated to make up for her crimes. She had to compensate for the Reikai laws she had broken. Running off to Hell, keeping Karasu's whereabouts a secret from Reikai authorities, stealing Botan's oar...  
  
After one long look into Kurama's shimmering eyes, Chitsuko turned back to Koenma and nodded resolutely. "I accept." 


	17. Epilogue Chitsuko's Departure: Farewell...

Epilogue: Chitsuko's Departure - Farewell to Ningenkai  
  
"Well I guess this is good-bye..."  
  
Chitsuko stood in front of a Makai gate, Touya and Jin standing on either side of her. She looked around at her friends: Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, Keiko, Shizuru, and Kurama, all smiling sadly at her. Botan was back in Reikai with Koenma.  
  
"Do you have to go?" Keiko asked.  
  
"Yeah." Chitsuko nodded. "It's a miracle King Enma pardoned me after all that I've done."  
  
"Where will you stay?" Shizuru puffed lightly on her cigarette.  
  
"Me 'n Touya'll take care of her 'til she gets setttled." Jin gave Yusuke a small wink. "That I promise ya."  
  
"If she can't find a place to stay, she's more than welcome to live with the Shinobi." Touya smiled down Chitsuko, who returned it with one of her own.  
  
"Thanks guys..." She turned back to the group in front of her. "I'll miss you guys..."  
  
She ran forward and threw an arm around Yusuke and Kuwabara and gave them both a kiss on the cheek. "Yusuke, Kuwabara... Thanks for showing me how to control my spirit energy and use the Spirit Gun. I don't know what I would be doing without you..." She moved on to Keiko and Shizuru. "You guys are the nicest people I know. Thank you for accepting me, even though I'm so weird..."  
  
"No you're not," Shizuru said with a small smile. "You're just as normal as the rest of us," she said with a sideways glance at her baby brother and the Spirit Detective.  
  
"Hiei..." Chitsuko threw her arms around the little youkai, who stumbled back slightly. "You taught me how to use a sword and how to think in battle... And you gave me my own sword..." She stepped back and rested her hand lightly on the hilt of the katana sheathed at her side. "For that I am forever grateful..." Chitsuko stepped forward again and planted a soft kiss on Hiei's forhead, right over his Jagan. A slight flush rose in the youkai's cheeks and he turned his face away. "Do not thank me... Those skills will come in handy..."  
  
Chitsuko smile warmly, then turned around to face Kurama.  
  
"Kurama..."  
  
It was a tense moment. Kurama moved towards her, and Chitsuko came forward to meet him. Slowly, gently, Kurama slid his arms around her waist as she wrapped her own around his neck, pulling his head down for a warm, tender kiss.  
  
The group watched open-mouthed as the two foxes kisses slowly and rythmically, seeminly unaware of the world around them. Kurama tangled his fingers in Chitsuko's long hair as she pressed herself against him, basking in the warmth that radiated from his body...  
  
"Jeeze, get a room you two!" Yusuke shouted.  
  
Kurama and Chitsuko, startled back to reality, pulled away from each other and glanced at their friends. Everyone was grinning, and Kuwabara was fighting back a laugh.  
  
The two foxes chuckled to themselves. Kurama bent down and kissed Chitsuko on the forehead one last time.  
  
It would seem like an eternity before he would see her again...  
  
"I'll wait for you forever if I have too... I'll miss you, Kokitsune..." he said softly.  
  
"I'll miss you too..." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him briefly on the lips before she backed up beside Touya and Jin. The three of them turned around to face the gate.  
  
"Hold hands, now," Jin said, taking hold of the girl's hand. "Wouldn't want to get separated somewhere in space, now would we?" The Wind Master grinned.  
  
Chitsuko nodded, turning her head to get one last look at her friends and the beautiful realm that was Ningenkai.  
  
"Good-bye, everyone..."  
  
And with that she stepped through the swirling portal with the two Shinobi and disappeared from sight, the gate closing with soft ping behind them.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Wow! Saga 2 of the Kokitsune series is completed! =^^=  
  
Stay tuned for Saga 3 of the series, Revival! What kind of crazy adventures will our beloved Chitsuko-chan have in Makai? Stick around to find out! ;D  
  
I would like to thank everybody who reviewed this story, and all of the loyal Kokitsune fans. One of them called this story "genius," and I thank you for that! I'm so glad you all like it. ^^  
  
Saga 3: Revival, coming soon! (very very very very VERY soon... Even though I start school on August 28. ^^;;  
  
Ai, ~Lexi-chan~ 


End file.
